Walker Baptist Medical Center Surpasses Two-Year Mark for Low Dose CT Lung Screening Program

November Marks Lung Cancer Awareness Month

To help in the fight against lung cancer, Walker Baptist Medical Center began offering low dose CT lung screenings in September 2017. Since then, the hospital has performed more than 225 screenings, any number of which could have been a lifesaving procedure.

According to the American Cancer Society, lung cancer is the second most common cancer in both men and women (not counting skin cancer), and is by far the leading cause of cancer death among both men and women. Each year, more people die of lung cancer than of colon, breast and prostate cancers combined. Lung cancer can spread quickly widely and is often at an advanced stage when first found. But in recent years, doctors have found a test that can be used to screen for lung cancer in people at high risk of the disease. This test can help find some of these cancers early on, which can lower the risk of dying from this disease.

Walker Baptist’s Lung Cancer Screening Program provides a comprehensive approach to assessing lung cancer risk and includes the following:

• A painless, non-invasive low-dose CT scan
• Results and recommendations within a week of screening
• Ongoing communication with referring physicians
• Access to a nurse navigator dedicated to working with lung cancer screening patients

For more information, contact your local primary care physician to determine if you meet the criteria for a low dose CT lung cancer screening and for a referral. For more information on Medicare coverage of lung cancer screenings, click here.