Lung Cancer Screening at Covenant Health

Some of the risk factors for lung cancer include smoking tobacco, breathing in secondhand smoke, and exposure to radon, asbestos, or other harsh chemicals. People who have a family history of lung cancer may also be at risk for developing the disease. To find out if you are at risk, take our assessment.

Many private health insurance plans cover lung cancer screening, but eligibility criteria varies by plan. Medicare also covers low-dose CT among beneficiaries who fit the following criteria:

• Age 50-77 years
• No current signs or symptoms of lung cancer
• Tobacco smoking history of at least 20 pack-years (pack-years are calculated by multiplying the number of packs smoked per day by number of years smoked)
• Current or former smokers who have quit within the last 15 years

The results of your exam will be available to your phy­sician within 24-48 hours of the screening. You may also access the results yourself by contacting the hospital’s medical records department or setting up a personal account on the MyCovenantHealth patient portal

As with many exams, there are risks and limita­tions of LDCT lung screen­ing. These may include:

Radiation Exposure

LDCT lung screening uses radiation to create images of your lung. Radiation can increase a person’s risk of cancer. By using special techniques, the amount of radiation in LDCT lung screening is small – about the same amount a person would receive from a mammogram.

False Negatives or Positives

No test, including LDCT lung screening, is perfect. It is possible that you may have a medical con­dition, including lung cancer, that is not found during your exam. This is called a false negative.

Conversely, an LDCT lung screening may find something in the lung that could be cancer, but in fact is not. This is called a false positive. In order to make sure these findings are not cancer, you may need to have more tests.

One out of four LDCT screenings generally detect something that needs additional imaging for evaluation. These are often referred to as lung nodules because they are a small collection of tissues in the lung. More than 97 percent of lung nodules are noncancerous (benign) because they are scars from previous lung infections.

For those who have cancerous (malignant) nodules, we offer a unique Lung Nodule Program. A nurse navigator specializing in lung treatment helps patients and physicians coordinate a prompt plan of care. Our goal is to help save lives by detecting lung cancer early for treatment through our cancer network.