What is lung screening?
A lung screening is a test that examines your lungs in detail for signs of current issues or potential future risks. The team at Life Imaging Fla performs lung screenings using a powerful low-dose CT scan that’s 11 times more sensitive than a traditional chest X-ray.
Since a low-dose CT scan is so sensitive, it can detect lung diseases in the very early stages of development. In these stages, lung disease is easier to treat. Survival rates of lung cancer are generally 12-15%. With early diagnosis, survival rates improve to as much as 88%.
During your lung screening at Life Imaging Fla, you’ll lay down on a platform that slides in and out of the machine. The machine uses X-ray technology to take many images of your chest cavity. It combines those images to create a highly detailed image of your lungs.
The scan lasts for a few minutes and causes no pain or discomfort.
Which conditions can lung screening diagnose?
Since lung screening can detect lung abnormalities as small as 1 millimeter in diameter, it opens a wide range of possibilities for diagnosis and risk assessment. From your lung scan images, your physician can detect signs of:
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
- Fluid buildup
- Scarring
- Emphysema
- Suspicious masses and tumors
- Lung nodules
- Enlarged lymph glands in your chest cavity
- Pleurisy
- Tuberculosis
- Pneumonia
- Sarcoidosis
- Job-related contaminant exposure like asbestos
The radiology team at Life Imaging Fla provides you with a detailed report of your results once your scan is complete.
Should I get a lung screening test?
Lung screening tests are targeted toward people with no symptoms who are at risk of developing lung cancer or other lung diseases. If you’re in the category of people who should be getting lung screenings, you should get them annually.
Your physician may recommend getting a lung screening test if you:
- Currently smoke
- Quit smoking in the past 15 years
- Smoked an average of one pack a day for 20 years or two packs a day for 10 years
- Had lung complications in the past
- Have a family history of lung cancer
- Were exposed to dangerous breathing conditions on the job
Life Imaging Fla encourages you to get regular lung screenings if any of the above criteria apply to you and you’re between ages 50 and 80.
To find out more about lung screening or schedule one for yourself or a loved one, schedule an appointment by phone or request online at Life Imaging Fla today.
