{"id":22847,"date":"2025-11-02T07:00:08","date_gmt":"2025-11-02T07:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/?p=22847"},"modified":"2025-11-03T17:26:03","modified_gmt":"2025-11-03T17:26:03","slug":"should-you-get-a-lung-cancer-screening","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/should-you-get-a-lung-cancer-screening\/","title":{"rendered":"Should you get a lung cancer screening?","gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"text"}]},"content":{"rendered":"

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death for both men and women in the United States. And, like other cancers, getting an early diagnosis means significantly better chances for effective treatment. However, diagnosing lung cancer<\/a> early can be challenging since symptoms are not often present until later stages of the illness.<\/p>\n

Fortunately, cancer screenings, like a colonoscopy or a mammogram, are ways to find cancer before it causes symptoms. <\/span>Studies have shown lung cancer screenings reduce the risk of dying from lung cancer.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know from several high-quality studies that annual lung cancer screening with low-dose [computed tomography] CT scan is extremely effective at catching lung cancer early,\u201d says MultiCare pulmonologist Abhishek Biswas, MD<\/a>. \u201cIn fact, one unnecessary death from lung cancer is prevented for every 320 CT scans performed in the United States.\u201d<\/p>\n

Who is eligible for lung cancer screening?<\/h2>\n

It\u2019s no secret that smoking is the leading risk factor for lung cancer. Nine out of 10 lung cancer cases in men and eight out of 10 in women are caused by smoking. And around 80 percent of all deaths from lung cancer can be attributed to smoking.<\/p>\n

This is why lung cancer screenings are geared toward current smokers or those who used to smoke but have quit in the past 15 years. The guidelines for screening take into account age and \u201cpack year.\u201d<\/p>\n

To calculate a\u00a0pack year<\/a>, multiply the number of packs of cigarettes you have smoked per day by the total number of years you have smoked. For example, a person who has smoked one pack per day for 20 years and someone who has smoked two packs per day for 10 years both have a 20 pack-year history.<\/p>\n

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force states that people should be screened if they:<\/span><\/p>\n