ON THIS PAGE: You will find out more about screening for this type of cancer. You will also learn the risks and benefits of screening. Use the menu to see other pages.
Screening is used to look for cancer before you have any symptoms or signs. Scientists have developed, and continue to develop, tests that can be used to screen a person for specific types of cancer. The overall goals of cancer screening are to lower the number of people who die from the disease or eliminate deaths from cancer altogether.
Learn more about the basics of cancer screening.
Screening information for lung cancer
Based on results from the National Lung Screening Trial, several groups, including ASCO, have developed recommendations for lung cancer screening. In addition, lung cancer screening is approved by Medicare. Recommended screening for lung cancer is done with a test called a low-dose helical or spiral computed tomography (CT or CAT) scan. A CT scan creates a 3-dimensional picture of the inside of the body with an x-ray machine. A computer then combines these images into a detailed, cross-sectional view that shows any abnormalities or tumors.
CT scanning is not recommended for every person who smokes. The current recommendations are discussed below. It is also important to receive screening at an approved and experienced center.
ASCO recommends the following lung cancer screening schedules for people who currently smoke or who have quit smoking:
Yearly screening with a low-dose CT scan is recommended for people age 55 to 74 who have smoked for 30 pack years or more. It is also recommended for those age 55 to 74 who have quit within the past 15 years.
CT screening is not recommended for people who have smoked for less than 30 pack years, are younger than 55 or older than 74, have quit smoking more than 15 years ago, or have a serious condition that could affect cancer treatment or shorten a person's life.
A pack year is equal to smoking 20 cigarettes (1 pack) a day each year.
The United States Preventive Services Task Force recommends that people age 55 to 80 who have smoked for 30 pack years or more or who have quit within the past 15 years receive screening for lung cancer with low-dose CT scans each year, and screening can stop after a person has not smoked for 15 years or develops a health problem that would shorten their life or prevent them from being able to have surgery for lung cancer.
Learn more about ASCO’s recommendations for lung cancer screening in current or former smokers and information on lung cancer screening from the National Cancer Institute. Also, you can listen to a Cancer.Net Podcast on Understanding Cancer Screening.
The next section in this guide is Symptoms and Signs. It explains what body changes or medical problems this disease can cause. You may use the menu to choose a different section to read in this guide.