People at High Risk for Lung Cancer Can Reduce Their Risk of Mortality by 20 Percent with Lung Screening

DENVER, Nov. 13, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Cancer Institute has concluded that having a low-dose CT chest scan for patients at high risk for developing lung cancer can reduce their risk of mortality by 20 percent. Porter Adventist's Healthy Lung Screening Program offers free screening to persons who qualify due to their being deemed to be at high risk for lung cancer.

Porter uses the same criteria as Medicare for determining high risk patients. Persons considered to be high risk include:

• People between the ages of 55 and 77
• Asymptomatic people (no signs or symptoms of lung cancer)
• Current smokers or those who quit less than 15 years ago
• People who have smoked at least one pack per day for 30 years.

Patients who do not meet these criteria can still get the exam done at a self-pay rate of $259. 

"These screenings save lives because without them we tend to catch lung cancers at a late stage, limiting the options for treatment and lowering the chance of survival," said Jared Ediger, Lung Program Nurse Navigator at Porter Adventist Hospital. "The low-dose CT scan includes only a small fraction of the radiation emitted from a normal CT scan, so it is quite safe."

Other conditions besides tobacco smoking can also put people at high risk for cancer, including radon exposure, occupational exposure to silica, cadmium, asbestos, arsenic, beryllium, chromium, diesel fumes and nickel. Also considered is a family history of lung cancer or a lung disease history, including COPD or pulmonary fibrosis.

Persons interested in learning more about the Healthy Lung Screening Program should call Ediger at 303.778.2415. More information about the program can be found at porterhospital.org

About Porter Adventist Hospital
Porter Adventist Hospital is a full service, 368-bed acute-care referral center for complex medicine and surgery patients. Porter specializes in cancer care, joint replacement, heart and vascular procedures, spinal surgery, emergency services, advanced robotic surgery and organ transplants. They are a regionally-ranked Hospital by U.S. News & World Report as #2 in Colorado.  Porter is sponsored by Adventist Health System and is part of Centura Health, the region's largest hospital and health care network. For more information, visit porterhospital.org.

Contact:
Katie Trexler-Kern
[email protected]
303.941.4118

SOURCE Porter Adventist Hospital

Related Links

http://porterhospital.org