Here are answers to questions you may have as a patient or provider about lung cancer screening at UPMC North Central Pa.
LDCT lung screening is easy!
Most health insurance companies will pay for lung cancer screening as long as you are high-risk.
If you meet the high risk standard, please ask your family doctor to see if you should have a lung cancer screening. If you need help finding a family doctor, please call UPMC in north central Pa. at 570-321-1000.
Lung cancer results in more deaths in the United States than any other cancer; in fact, it accounts for more deaths than breast, cervix, colon, and prostate cancer combined. Because lung cancer has no symptoms in its early stages, more than 85% of the men and women who are diagnosed with lung cancer today are diagnosed in a late stage, after symptoms occur and when there is very little chance of cure. As a result, approximately 95 percent of the 173,000 people diagnosed each year die from the disease.
Results from the National Lung Screening Trial (NLST) show 20 percent fewer lung cancer deaths for people screened with low-dose helical computed tomography (CT) than a with chest x-ray. With early detection, 85 percent ofcancers can be found in the earliest, most curable stage. If treated promptly with surgery, their cure rate is 92%. (New England Journal of Medicine 2006: 355: 1763-1771).
All major commercial insurance companies began covering lung cancer screening on January 1, 2015. On February 5, 2015, Medicare/Medicaid started covering lung cancer screening.
LDCT lung cancer screening should be ordered for high-risk individuals who:
For additional information about Lung Cancer Screening please contact Denise Clark in Lycoming County at 570-321-2524, or Chad Tennis in Tioga County at 570-723-0294.