Recently, our very own Dr. Robert Caccavale was featured in an article regarding lung cancer screening with CONQUER magazine. Dr. Caccavale discussed 5 important things that every American should know when considering whether to have a lung cancer screening. Below we have included an excerpt from the piece and link to the full article.
Low-dose CT screening is the only screening method recommended by the US Preventive Services Task Force for lung cancer, yet only 3.9% of eligible people are actually screened.
Early diagnosis of lung cancer is challenging for everyone, including healthcare providers. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths, yet only 3.9% of people eligible for screening are actually being screened with the recommended method of low-dose CT,1 which is the only screening method recommended by the US Preventive Services Task Force for lung cancer.2 In this test, an x-ray machine uses low doses of radiation to scan the body and create detailed pictures of the lungs, to detect tumors. This type of testing results in a 20% reduction in lung cancer–specific deaths.3
So why are eligible people shying away from low-dose CT screening? It could be a lack of information, or fear of radiation, suggested Robert J. Caccavale, MD, Thoracic Surgeon and Co-Medical Advisor at the Comprehensive Lung Care Program at CentraState Medical Center, NJ.
Dr. Caccavale believes that when patients have more information, the fear of radiation is less likely to be a factor. “If patients understood a little better, they might be more aggressive about getting screened, because lung cancer ruins lives,” Dr. Caccavale told CONQUER.
Read the full article here.
