Dr. Wy, why is my doctor telling me I need to get a CT scan of my lungs? I quit smoking cigarettes 10 years ago!

Ask Dr. Wy…

Richard Wyderski, MD, FACP

Dr. Wy, why is my doctor telling me I need to get a CT scan of my lungs? I quit smoking cigarettes 10 years ago!

First, congratulations on stopping smoking! It’s the best thing you can do to improve your health. Smoking cigars and cigarettes shortens life expectancy and increases the risk of cancers, heart disease, strokes, lung damage and many other health problems. And it’s expensive!

There is one smoking complication that can be more easily cured if it’s caught early enough: lung cancer. A few decades ago, there were studies of checking chest x-rays and sputum samples each year that did NOT show any benefit. As CT scans got better with lower radiation doses, studies were done that DID show that they often found lung cancer at an early stage and were cured more often, just like mammograms do for breast cancer.

Not everyone was shown to benefit from screening, though. The patients that were more likely cured were between 50 and 80 years old and in good health, had smoked at least 20 pack years (the number of packs of cigarettes per day multiplied by the number of years smoked), and less than 15 years had gone by if they had quit smoking. Insurance companies will usually cover the test if patients meet these criteria, though the American Cancer Society also recommends it even if more than 15 years has gone by or for healthy patients over the age of 80.

Unfortunately, fewer than 20% of eligible people get screened each year even though lung cancer is responsible for the highest number of cancer deaths in the US. So please get your annual screen if you’re eligible!

 

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