It's not very often that there's a new breakthrough in cancer treatment. But now there is. It's a new tool that can detect lung cancer early enough that it can be treated.
The American Cancer Society is recommending all heavy smokers and former heavy smokers 55 and older get the test. It's a low dose CT scan and it's now being offered at LewisGale Medical Center.
Lung Cancer is one of the deadliest cancers partly because by the time people realize they have it, it's too late, said Dr. Dave Killeen, a pulmonary and critical care specialist at LewisGale Medical Center.
Using a low dose CT scan as a screening tool for people who don't have symptoms can help find small tumors. Just how small? "Down to four millimeters which is really really small," said Dr. Killeen. "You're talking smaller than a pea."
The CT scanner that's used for traditional CT scans is also being used for the low dose version. The difference: The traditional CT scan exposes the body to 14 times the amount of radiation as a low dose scan, according to Dr. Killeen.
That's why C-T technology hasn't been used for routine screening in people without symptoms because the risk of radiation exposure outweighed the benefit. Low dose C-T changes that.
"When they did this scan they found the radiation was enough to see the lungs clear enough to pick up nodules and masses but not so much to increase the radiation risk," said Dr. Killeen.
Doctor Killeen showed our WDBJ7 crew a CT scan of a cancerous tumor in a patient's lung. The patient is in his 60's and had been a long time smoker, but he had quit several years ago. By the time the patient came to the doctor he was showing symptoms. He had been wheezing. By that time the tumor was too large and the cancer had spread making surgery and effective treatment difficult.
If low dose CT scans had been around and used on him for screening several years ago, this cancer may have been found much earlier, said Dr. Killeen.
The bottom line: this is huge. It's a way to screen smokers and former smokers for lung cancer and find it early. "With this you can potentially find cancer well before the patient has y had any symptoms which opens up the door for potential cure," said Dr. Killeen. "Getting rid of the cancer forever and it not coming back."
Who should get the test?
The test is recommended for heavy smokers or former heavy smokers who are 55 and older.
That's anyone who has a "30 pack Year" smoking history. That means if you smoked a pack a day for 30 years or if you smoked two packs a day for 15 years.
Insurance is not covering the screening yet because it is so new. The cost is 150 dollars at LewisGale Medical Center. Call you primary care doctor to find out about getting the test.
How to figure out "Pack Year"
