CAN A LUNG SCAN SCREENING BE A ‘LIFE OR DEATH’ DECISION?

According to the American Cancer Society most people with lung cancer have NO symptoms. Therefore, American’s traditional habit of seeking a doctor’s help only when they are feeling ill is failing patients with lung cancer.

Currently only 15% of lung cancers in the U.S. are caught in the early stages. Four out of five cases, when eventually diagnosed, are incurable. Every year lung cancer kills more people in the United States than breast, prostate, and colorectal cancer combined. These statistics are staggering!

But there’s medical help available for early detection of lung cancer. In 1972, British engineer Sir Godfrey N. Hounsfield and South African (later American) physicist Alan Cormack invented the Computed Tomography (CT or CAT) Scan to look inside the lungs. The CT scan reveals most soft-tissue and internal structures that are invisible to conventional X-rays. The CT scan provides images over 100 times clearer than an ordinary x-ray machine with the same dosage of radiation.

So a painless, non-invasive (no needles or probes) lung scan is highly recommended for those in a high risk category such as current and/or former smokers, those subjected to second-hand smoke, people exposed to excessive air pollution, anyone with a family history of lung cancer, or those suffering from lung inflammation such as tuberculosis. Age is also a significant factor in the decision of whether or not to have a lung scan screening. The majority of hospitals and other medical facilities will not usually perform an elective CT lung scan on patients under 30-35 years of age but typically recommend lung scans for those over 50, especially if the individual is in one of the high risk categories.

The entire stress-free lung scan takes less than 10 minutes to complete. A radiologist then reads and analyzes the scan results and generates a report regarding the health of the patient’s lungs along with recommendations for follow-up tests or treatment.

According to Dr. Wendell A. Gibby, MD, Clinical Professor of Radiology at the University of Arizona in Tucson and Medical Director of Accuscan Health Imaging in Salt Lake City, Utah, “Lung scans hold the soundest medical science for detecting lung abnormalities or cancer. Early screening is the ONLY defense against lung cancer.”

The MDCT (multi-detector CT) scan is the gold standard in screening for early detection of lung cancer. While traditional X-ray may detect tumors larger than a quarter, MDCT scan technology is capable of discovering tumors the diameter of a straw with remarkably greater clarity.

The Journal of Clinical Oncology (cancer) published a comparative study in February 2002 showing that patients whose lung cancer was detected through an MDCT scan had over TWICE the survival rate than the patients whose lung cancer was detected through X-ray. It seems wise to avail ourselves of this essential opportunity to detect and treat lung cancer before it’s too late. It may be the most significant appointment of your life.

A lung scan currently costs in the rage of $300 to $600, depending upon your geographical location and the medical specialization of the medical provider and usually doesn’t require at doctor’s order. For more information about the full body CT/CAT scan, call (801) 456-7226 or visit www.accuscanutah.com