In the United States, lung cancer is the second most common cancer in both men and women. It’s also the leading cause of death from cancer. The American Cancer Society’s, or ACS, estimates for lung cancer in the United States for 2019 are:
- About 228,150 new cases of lung cancer (116,440 in men and 111,710 in women).
- About 142,670 deaths from lung cancer (76,650 in men and 66,020 in women).
The ACS has a lung cancer screening guideline for people with a higher risk of getting lung cancer that is based on the National Lung Screening Trial. The ACS recommends yearly lung cancer screening with a low-dose Computed Tomography scan, or LDCT, for people who are 55 to 74 years old, are in fairly good health, and who also meet the following conditions:
- Are current smokers or smokers who have quit in the past 15 years; and
- Have at least a 30 pack-year smoking history (this is the number of years you smoked multiplied by the number of packs of cigarettes per day); and
- Receive counseling to quit smoking if they are current smokers; and
- Have been told by their doctor about the possible benefits, limits, and harms of screening with LDCT scans; and
- Have a facility where they can go that has experience in lung cancer screening and treatment.
Learn your risk
Take a free online lung cancer risk assessment.
Get screened
Northern Arizona Healthcare offers $89 lung screening exams in Cottonwood. To schedule an appointment, call 928-649-1260.
Quit smoking
NAH offers a free eight-session Freedom From Smoking course at Verde Valley Medical Center. For upcoming session dates, call 928-639-5391.