Lung cancer screening urged for Delawareans at risk
Speaking at the recent Delaware Cancer Consortium retreat in Dover, Gov. John Carney said, “As many as 113 lives in Delaware can be saved each year with lung cancer screenings. Delawareans at high risk of lung cancer should get a low-dose computed tomography scan that can detect lung cancer early, when it is most treatable. It’s painless, noninvasive, takes only 20 minutes, and it could potentially save your life.”
A national lung cancer screening trial found that the use of low-dose CT scans to detect lung cancer early can reduce a person’s risk of death from the disease by 20 percent.
Lung cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in Delaware. The state cancer consortium recommends lung cancer screening for individuals who are 55 to 80 years of age and smoked a pack of cigarettes a day for the last 30 years or more, or two packs a day for the last 15 years or more. Those who quit smoking within the last 15 years after similar history should also be screened.
Delaware Health and Social Services Secretary Dr. Kara Odom Walker, a board-certified family physician, said, “Uninsured and underinsured Delawareans at high risk for lung cancer should have their screenings covered by health insurance or Screening for Life.”
Many lung cancer cases in Delaware are diagnosed at the distal, or late, stage, making lung cancer the leading cause of cancer deaths, approximately 567 deaths per year, in the state.
To schedule a low-dose CT scan, go to www.healthydelaware.org/Individuals/Cancer/Lung and call 302-744-1020 to speak with a lung cancer nurse navigator.
