Lung Cancer Screening May Detect Cancer Before Symptoms Show

November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month and the American Cancer Society urges everyone to discuss lung cancer screening with their doctor.

Lung cancer is the second most common cancer in both men and women, aside from skin cancer, and stands as the overall leading cause of cancer death in the United States. An estimated 16,920 Californian residents will be diagnosed with lung cancer this year. Symptoms usually don’t appear until the disease is already at an advanced stage, making lung cancer screening critical to finding it early when it may be easier to treat.

While anyone can get lung cancer, the risk is higher for people who currently smoke or formerly smoked. The American Cancer Society’s lung cancer screening guideline recommends yearly lung cancer screening for people aged 50 to 80 years old who smoke or formerly smoked and have a 20-year or greater pack-year history. A pack-year is equal to smoking 1 pack per day for a year. For example, a person could have a 20 pack-year history by smoking 1 pack a day for 20 years, or by smoking 2 packs a day for 10 years.

The recommended annual screening test for lung cancer is a low-dose computed tomography scan (also called a low-dose CT scan, or LDCT).

“It’s important for those who are going to be screened to discuss the potential benefits and limits of yearly screening with their doctor,” said Dr. Luis Godoy, American Cancer Society volunteer and Thoracic Surgeon at UC Davis.

To learn more or find a screening location near you, visit cancer.org/getscreened.