Lung and Thoracic Cancer 

You may qualify for a low-dose CT lung cancer screening if you:

• Are 50 and 80 years old (for Medicare/Medicaid, eligibility is ages 50–77, up to your 78th birthday)
• Have no current symptoms of lung cancer
• Currently smoke or quit smoking within the past 15 years
• Have a smoking history of 20 pack-years or more

Lung nodules can have different causes and are common. They may be detected during screening or found incidentally on other CT scans of the chest. When a nodule is identified, it's important to monitor it. Follow-up imaging or additional evaluation may be recommended to better understand what it is and whether further testing is needed.

If a lung nodule is found, your care team may:

• Evaluate imaging results
• Create a personalized follow-up plan based on your risk factors and family history
• Refer you to medical or surgical specialists for further evaluation or treatment

A recent National Cancer Institute study gave annual low-dose CT scans to people between the ages of 55–74 who had a heavy smoking history but were otherwise symptom-free. They found people who received low-dose CT scans were 20% less likely to die from lung cancer compared to screenings with annual chest X-rays.

A pack-year is a way to measure how much someone has smoked over time:

• 20 years × 1 pack/day (20 cigarettes/day) = 20 pack-years
• 10 years × 2 packs/day (40 cigarettes/day) = 20 pack-years
• 40 years × ½ pack/day (10 cigarettes/day) = 20 pack-years

Calculate your pack year.

To determine your eligibility for screening, you can also take the lung cancer risk quiz provided by the American Lung Association.

Please discuss cigar and tobacco pipe smoking with your primary care provider or one of our tobacco treatment specialists. Sutter also offers smoking cessation counseling and education for individuals who are ready to take the next step toward quitting smoking.

Screening helps detect lung cancer early — often before symptoms appear — so care can begin sooner if needed. Benefits of lung cancer screening include:

• Finds cancer at an earlier, more treatable stage
• Noninvasive screening with a low-dose CT scan
• Quick procedure and doesn't require recovery time
• Typically covered by insurance when eligibility requirements are met

Most lung nodules found through screening are not cancerous, but monitoring them is important. Our team will help guide next steps if follow-up care is needed.

Talk to your primary care provider about whether a lung cancer screening is right for you and ask for a referral.