Screening for Lung Cancer

Baptist Health Richmond: Screening for Lung Cancer

Pulmonologist RAJAN JOSHI, MD explains how low-dose CT scanning can help patients with a history of smoking or cancer detect lung disease and treat it early.

Screening for Lung Cancer Health Talks Transcript

Rajan Joshi, MD

Lung cancer is the leading cause of death from all cancers. One third of the total cancer deaths are related to lung cancer. Candidates for lung cancer screening would include: the age group between 55 to 74; smokers who are more than 30 pack-years of smoking, which is calculated by number of packs smoked per day multiplied by number of years; if someone has quit smoking less than 15 years; and patients who have a family history of lung cancer or other cancers. Your primary care provider may find other reasons for ordering the test, which is called low-dose CT of the chest. Low-dose CT is a new technology that allows us to provide a low dose of radiation and can be followed on a yearly basis. This is a very short test, which only takes a few minutes. It does not require any fasting. You also get a very comprehensive report and a multidisciplinary comprehensive care approach to this very deadly disease, with a 20 percent reduction in lung cancer deaths, which have been documented.