Is lung cancer screening right for you?
3/16/2023
It’s hard to know what’s happening inside your body, especially if you feel fine. That’s why you should stay up to date on recommended health screenings.
Columbus Community Hospital offers various screenings to help you and your loved ones stay healthy, including low-dose CT lung screenings. These checks use minimal radiation to provide a detailed image of your lungs.
CCH offers low-dose CT lung screenings for qualified people who are at risk of developing lung cancer but do not show symptoms.
To qualify for these screenings, you must be:
- Referred by your physician.
- Between the ages of 50 and 80 years old.
- Someone who has a history of smoking at least one pack of cigarettes per day for 20 years, is a current smoker or has quit within the last 15 years.
People with symptoms that suggest a concern for lung cancer — such as abnormal weight loss and coughing up blood — would not qualify for these screenings. However, those with chronic or productive coughing or shortness of breath would be eligible for the screenings, since those
are symptoms of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) generally, and not necessarily lung cancer.
CCH’s diagnostic imaging department performs the screenings, which only take about five minutes and could significantly impact a person’s health.
“If you are a smoker or were a smoker, screening your lungs for cancer is important,” said Denise Tomek, director of radiology at CCH. “The earlier you find cancer, the more treatable it is.”
For more information about these screenings, talk to your doctor or call the diagnostic imaging department at 402-562-3180.