“Screening” means checking for cancer before symptoms develop, even if you feel healthy. Screening can help detect cancer in its earliest stages.
In this section:
- Who should be screened for lung cancer?
- Stigma Spotlight: When it Stifles Screening
- How we screen for lung cancer
- What to expect during a lung cancer screening test
- Why screening matters
- What comes after screening?
Your healthcare provider should explain these risks to you, so that you can make an informed choice about screening. If you currently smoke, this is a great time to discuss making a plan to cut back or quit!
How we screen for lung cancer
There is only one recommended type of lung cancer screening test, and that’s low-dose computed tomography, or low-dose CT for short.
A CT scanner uses a rotating X-ray machine to take lots of pictures of the lungs. Next, the data is combined to create detailed images of your lungs.
“Low-dose” refers to the level of radiation needed to complete the scan. A low-dose CT scan for lung cancer uses about five times less radiation than a conventional CT scan, while still resulting in images that are much more detailed than X-rays.