High Risk Lung Cancer Screening Program

Lung cancer is the number one cancer killer in the United States. Until recently there has been no reliable way to detect lung cancer in its earliest, most treatable stage.

However, new findings revealed by the National Lung Screening Trial (NLST) of more than 53,000 current and former smokers across the nation shows that lung cancer deaths dropped by 20 percent when these individuals underwent a low dose spiral CT scan compared with those screened with chest X-rays.

These findings are the impetus behind the development of the new High Risk Lung Cancer Screening Program at Cooper Cancer Institute (CCI).

High Risk Lung Cancer Screening Program

Cooper’s Lung Cancer Center team of experts in thoracic surgery, pulmonary medicine, medical oncology, radiology and clinical cancer prevention have developed a comprehensive, multidisciplinary program to detect, treat and educate high risk individuals against lung cancer.

In addition to the CT screening exam, Cooper’s program offer preventative options to help people reduce their risk for lung cancer, and based on the findings of the screening, our lung cancer experts guide patients through a comprehensive diagnostic evaluation, long-term follow up and, if needed, treatment.

Eligibility

Cooper Cancer Institute will be following the inclusion criteria used in the National Lung Cancer Screening Trial, which are as follows:

• Individuals between the ages of 55 and 74 who are current or former smokers.
• Men and women with a history of at least “30 pack years” of smoking. A “pack year” is the number of packs smoked per day multiplied by the number of years smoked, e.g. 1 pack per day for 30 years = 30 pack years; 2 packs per day for 15 years= 30 pack years; etc.
• Patients should not have a history of any cancer within the past five years.
• Former smokers must have quit within the past 15 years.

In addition to the screening services, Cooper’s High Risk Lung Cancer Screening Program offers access to the cancer center’s other services including low-cost tobacco cessation programs to help smokers quit.

At this time, there is no evidence to support screening people who have not been heavy smokers or those who have been exposed to second-hand smoke.

Access

Cooper offers lung cancer screening using low dose spiral CT at our state-of-the-art Imaging Centers in Camden and Voorhees, NJ.  All CTs are read by board-certified radiologists with special training in radiology of the lungs.

Low-dose spiral CT uses X-rays to scan the entire chest in about 5 to 10 seconds during a single breath-hold. The CT scanner looks like a donut, with the person undergoing a CT scan lying still on a table that moves through the opening in the scanner as the CT machinery rotates around the person. A computer creates images from the X-ray information coming from the scanner and then assembles these images into a series of two-dimensional slices of the lung at very small intervals to enable the detection of very small lesions, referred to as nodules, which are often smaller than 1 centimeter. 

Costs for Lung Cancer Screening

Because the NLST data was only recently released, national agencies that set guidelines and policy still have to meet to determine their recommendations. These recommendations will affect whether Medicare and private insurance companies will cover lung screenings, how often and for whom. Currently, lung cancer CT screening is not covered by insurance.

The out of pocket expense for the High Risk Lung Cancer Screening at Cooper is $300 payable at the time of the study.

Screening results could lead to the need for further tests, but in most cases the expenses for the additional testing are covered by insurance – however, patients are encouraged to confirm coverage with their insurance carrier before additional testing. 

Risks and False Positive Results

There are certain risks associated with screening, including radiation exposure and false positives that may result in additional testing.  However, scientific proof that screening a high-risk group can reduce lung cancer mortality means the benefits of the screening outweigh the risks for those people.

The NLST revealed that the number of false-positive studies is high.  Forty percent of the screening CTs in the NLST revealed small indeterminate lung nodules that will require follow-up in order to determine if they grow, indicating a likely cancer.  Larger nodules may require biopsy by means of an invasive procedure to establish the diagnosis and may lead to potential complications. Some of these nodules will be proven not to be cancer.

Smoking Cessation

Low cost smoking cessations programs are available to individuals who smoke and meet the screening program eligibility criteria as well as for those who do not qualify for screening.