November is the National Lung Cancer Month and aims at bringing awareness about this disease to the public. Recent studies have shown an increase in lung cancer mortality and decrease in lung cancer diagnosis during the COVID-19. The main reason behind lung cancer remains smoking. If you are a former smoker or current smoker, lung cancer screening is useful in finding lung cancer early where it is treatable as well. The early lung cancer is diagnosed, the better are the chances for its successful recovery.
Lung cancer screening is recommended for people who have smoking history of 20 packs/a year or more, and those who have quit smoking within the past 15 years and those ages are between 50 to 80 years old. The lung cancer screening test helps in suggesting whether the person has lung cancer when no cancer is present. It also finds cases where there are no symptoms to the patients. It is recommended for those who are at high risk of developing the disease due to their smoking history and age. The screening lung is low-dose computed tomography where an X-ray machine uses a low dose of radiation and provides detailed images of the lung.
It is also recommended to stop screening of lung cancer when the person has surpassed the age of 80 years or has not smoked in last 15 or more years etc. It is made clear that screening is not a substitute for quitting smoking. The best way to reduce the risk of lung cancer remains quitting smoking and avoiding secondhand smoke.
You should always contact your doctor if you are thinking about getting screened. He will analyze your health concerns and accordingly refer you to a screening facility.
The information shared in this blog is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice.
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