WYOMING, Mich. — Most people have heard about mammograms, screening for breast cancer, or colonoscopies to screen for colorectal cancer.
However, there is a screening for the most common cancer death. Only 13% of those eligible for the screening are actually getting it.
"Which is a really low number," said Dr. Elizabeth Colwell, a cardiothoracic surgeon at University of Michigan Health-West. "We do have a really long way to go to get this out into the public."
Lung cancer screening includes a non-invasive CT scan. It is best for those at high risk of lung cancer. This includes people who have smoked or do smoke heavily or have quit within the past 15 years and are over the age of 50.
Screening for lung cancer and diagnosing early can make a huge difference in treatment.
"Lung cancer really has a bad reputation that the long term survival is not great," said Colwell. "That's really because we're catching it late, because it's usually asymptomatic. So the screening, when we catch it early, we can really shift that curve so that we can make it a more curable cancer."
She explains many people will not have symptoms of lung cancer until it grows large enough to cause problems, often making it unable to be cured.
Talk to your primary care doctor if interested in lung cancer screening.
UM Health-West is taking part in National Lung Cancer Screening Day Saturday, Nov. 9. They have a full schedule of patients for CT scans. Referral from a primary care doctor is required.