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Health & Fitness

Clearing the Air About Lung Cancer Screenings

Recently, government officials advised heavy smokers to begin yearly scans for lung cancer to decrease the possibility of death from lung cancer, which kills almost 160,000 Americans annually.

However, the CT scans are not for everyone who smokes. U.S. Preventive Services Task Force urges the screenings only be offered to high risk individuals, which is defined as people ages 55 – 80, who have smoked a pack of cigarettes per day for 30 years or the equivalent; two packs per day for 15 years. The chances of lung cancer increase the more cigarettes a person smokes and the longer that person smokes. Generally, lung cancer has been diagnosed too late for treatment to be effective, but with the new screenings it should be detected earlier, allowing effective treatment of the disease.

Why do the screenings exclude younger, lighter smokers? There is not sufficient data to prove whether they would actually benefit from the scans since lung cancer before the age of 50 is rare and major studies focused on heavy smokers, not light to moderate smokers.

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Since the task force published their decision, insurers are cleared to pay for the CT scans. Under the Affordable Care Act, the screenings supported by the task force recommendations should be covered with no copays. Insurance plans will have one year to adopt the new recommendations. According to the American Lung Association, the cost of the scans average $300 - $500.

As with all procedures, there are pros and cons, but the task force is optimistic about the lung cancer screenings saving the lives of high-risk individuals. Contact Principal Medical Group to learn more about lung cancer screenings and if they are right for you.

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