CT scanning aids lung cancer fight

Dec. 22--A new screening program to detect lung cancer in its earliest stage is providing hope in the fight against the nation's deadliest cancer.

Two key government approvals are expanding the use of low-dose CT scans at no cost for those at high risk of lung cancer, said Dr. Stanley Golden, head of Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center's CT program.

"This is really a big deal," Golden said. "It's going to save thousands of lives."

A study of about 50,000 smokers and former smokers showed regular lung CT screenings reduced lung cancer deaths by 20 percent, he said.

Those findings led the U.S. Prevention Task Force to recommend screenings for those ages 55-80 with a history of smoking. The Affordable Care Act requires insurance to pay for screenings recommended by the task force, so those with private insurance have been able to get the screenings most of this year, Golden said.

Now the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is poised to adopt similar guidelines to cover Medicare patients.

"This is the most deadly cancer," Golden said. "It kills more people than breast cancer, colon cancer and prostate cancer combined."

Until now, most lung cancer was not detected until patients showed symptoms of the disease, he explained.

By then, it is often too late to treat successfully. The task force report says about 90 percent of the people who have lung cancer die from the disease.

But screening that detects the most common type of lung cancer -- non-small-cell cancer -- in its earliest stage can sometimes allow the patient to be cured with surgery, the task force said.

The task force recommends testing in a facility trained to do the low-dose lung CT Scans.

Conemaugh Memorial in Johnstown and Windber medical centers are approved centers, and a spokeswoman said Somerset Hospital is in the accreditation process.

"Technology has really allowed this to happen," Golden said. "The imaging is faster, with a lower dose of radiation, but with a more detailed image."

Patients simply lie on a table for a few seconds while the image is acquired, he said.

Screenings, however, are not an excuse to keep smoking, he stressed. The most effective way to prevent lung cancer is to not smoke, or to quit smoking.

"People who quit smoking greatly reduce their risk of developing and dying from lung cancer," the task force report says. "This risk continues to go down over time."

Counseling on the importance of quitting, or continued abstinence for former smokers, should be part of the screening process, both the task force and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services say.

Smoking cessation help is available through Conemaugh's cardiac rehabilitation department at 534-1990 and Somerset County's tobacco coordinator, Clara Hinton at 444-1673.

Who is eligible

-- Individuals ages

55-80 (55-74 for Medicare).

-- Those with a smoking history of at least 30 pack-years -- calculated by packs smoked per day, times the years smoked.

-- A current smoker or one who has quit in the last 15 years .

-- An individual with an order from primary care doctor or physician extender.

Get help quitting

-- Conemaugh Health System's cardiac rehabilitation department, 534-1990

-- Somerset County tobacco coordinator, Clara Hinton, 444-1673.

Randy Griffith is a multimedia reporter for The Tribune-Democrat. He can be reached at 532-5057. Follow him on Twitter @PhotoGriffer57.

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