“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?
• 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!
Who should be screened for lung cancer?
Cancer screening is done on people who may be at risk of getting lung cancer. In Ontario, people aged 55-74 with a smoking history may be referred. A risk assessment will be completed to determine eligibility
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.