Lake Regional Health System | Thrive | Winter 2019

lakeregional.com 9 Who needs testing? Medicare covers an annual LDCT scan for people at high risk for lung cancer. You are at high risk if all three of these things are true for you: 1 You have a smoking history of 30 pack years or more. To figure your pack years, take the number of packs you smoked per day multiplied by the number of years you smoked. For example: If you smoked 2 packs a day for 15 years, that would be 30 pack years. 2 You smoke now, or you quit within the last 15 years. 3 You’re between 55 and 77 years old. What are the risks and benefits? The biggest benefit of LDCT is that it can find lung cancer in its be- ginning stages, which helps lower the risk of dying from the disease. Early diagnosis also means that doctors might be able to use mini- mally invasive surgery to remove the cancer and preserve more lung tissue. Other benefits include: • It’s fast, painless and noninvasive. • It uses much less radiation than a traditional CT scan of the chest. There are possible risks, including the chance that the test might indicate cancer when no cancer is present. Although it’s im- possible to avoid all false-positive results, getting incredibly detailed imaging helps. “Our 128-slice scanner captures exceptional detail, and it does so at a high scan speed,” Dr. Vierra says. “That means patients do not have to hold their breath as long, so we get better images and need fewer rescans.” Lifesaving information Unfortunately, most Americans at high risk for lung cancer do not get screened. “We know there are hundreds of people in our area who need this screening but who aren’t aware that Medicare covers it or that it’s available so close to home,” Dr. Vierra says. “We want to reach these people with what could be lifesaving information.” Those interested in receiving LDCT should discuss the testing with their doctor. A physician’s order is required. Additional sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Radiological Society of North America READY TO BECOME SMOKE-FREE? Our Commit to Quit Support Group can help. Call 573-302-2253 .