Lung cancer screening now available at CCMH

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the United States. Unfortunately, about 90 percent of the people who have lung cancer die from the disease, in part because it is not found until the cancer has reached an advanced stage.

To help detect this deadly disease early, the CCMH Radiology department has introduced a new screening program for lung cancer. The screening is painless and takes about 15 minutes. The test is a low-dose CT scan to identify cancer at an early stage so that it may be treated more successfully. People eligible for the lung cancer screening:

• are 55 years old or older, and
• have a smoking history of at least 30 pack-years and continue to smoke, or have smoked within the last 15 years (a pack-year is the number of packs smoked per day multiplied by the number of years smoked).

There are risks associated with annual CT scans due to exposure to low doses of radiation, so patients must talk with their healthcare provider about the risks and benefits. This screening is also a physician-ordered procedure.

This lung cancer screening will run patients $350 and payment is required at registration. CCMH does not file with your insurance company. Patients are encouraged to contact their healthcare provider to receive coverage information for this type of screening.

For more information, please contact the CCMH Radiology department at 307.688.1600 or visit ccmh.net/lung.