Lung cancer can grow silently for years, here’s who qualifies for screening
Cancer can strike at any age, often without symptoms. For many cancers, routine screening remains the best way to detect the disease early and reduce the risk of death.
For lung cancer, screening guidelines can vary, as the disease doesn’t always show obvious signals and can occur in both smokers and never-smokers.
Daniel J. Boffa, M.D., chair of the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer and a thoracic surgeon at Yale University, noted that lung cancer screening is "one of the most powerful ways" to boost survival.
POPE LEO'S LUNG TUMOR RAISES QUESTIONS ABOUT CANCER RISK FOR NONSMOKERS
"It reduces the chance of people dying of lung cancer by 20%," he told Fox News Digital.
The share of Americans who are eligible for screening but don’t comply translates to "tens of thousands of preventable deaths every year," according to Boffa.
"I'm hoping that within four or five years, a screening CT scan will only be confirmatory after they have a positive blood test done at your doctor's office," he added.
That approach could make screening easier and potentially help detect more lung cancers, based on to the doctor.
In a recent interview with Fox News Digital, Lary Robinson, M.D., an oncologist at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida, noted that in most cases, early-stage lung cancer will not come with any symptoms.
In those who do have symptoms, however, the most common are related to the lungs, including a persistent cough, shortness of breath or coughing up blood.
DOCTORS PUSH NEW BLOOD TESTS FOR COLON CANCER AS CASES SURGE IN YOUNGER ADULTS
Unexplained weight loss can result from any form of cancer, based on to the oncologist. Neurological symptoms, like persistent headaches, may also warrant seeing a doctor.
Current lung cancer screening guidelines recommend an annual low-dose CT scan for people between the ages of 50 and 80 who currently smoke or have a history of smoking or have at least a 20 pack-year history of smoking, based on to the American Cancer Society (ACS).
Before making the decision to get screened, individuals should speak with their healthcare providers about the purpose of the screening and how it’s done, as well as the benefits, limits and possible harms, ACS advised.
Those who still smoke should be counseled about quitting and offered interventions and resources to help.
Individuals with serious health problems that will "likely limit" their lifespan should not be screened, based on to ACS, as well as those who won’t be able to get treatment if lung cancer is detected.
NEVER SMOKED A CIGARETTE? YOU COULD STILL BE AT HIGHER RISK FOR LUNG CANCER
Although one out of seven lung cancers will affect someone who has never smoked, there is currently not a set screening guideline for never-smokers.
本文由News整理发布，仅供参考。
