Meridian Lung Screening

Diagnose Lung Disease in the Early Stages

Find it early... live longer. Our Low Dose CT Lung Screening can provide early detection, leading to a better outcome. Early detection gives patients greater potential for a cure and opens up more treatment options.

What is the goal of Low Dose CT Lung Screening?

The goal is to save lives. Without a Low Dose CT Lung Screening, lung cancer is not usually found until a person develops symptoms. At that time, the cancer is much harder to treat. Seventy-five percent of lung cancers are detected after a person develops symptoms. If a person has symptoms by the time a lung cancer is discovered, the five-year survival rate can be less than 50%.

Studies show that Low Dose CT Lung Screening can lower the risk of death from lung cancer by 20% for high risk patients.

Who should get a Low Dose CT Lung Screening?

According to the US Preventive Services Task Force, adults aged 50-80 years who have a 20 pack-year smoking history and currently smoke or quit smoking in the past 15 years should consider lung cancer screening. A pack-year is calculated by multiplying the number of years a person has smoked by the average number of packs each day they smoked over that time period. For example, if a person has smoked for 20 years and, on average, smoked 2 packs per day, they would have a 40 pack-year history (20 years x 2 packs per day = 40 pack-years).

How is the screening performed?

It is simple and easy — no medications are given and no needles are used. You can even eat before and after the screen. A Radiological Technologist performs a low dose CT scan of your chest. A CT scanner is a computerized X-ray system that generates a 3-D image of the inside of an object. The screening takes approximately 15 minutes.

What are the risks or limitations of Low Dose CT Lung Screening?

Radiation Exposure: Low Dose CT Lung Screening uses radiation to create images of your lung. Radiation can increase a person’s risk of cancer. The amount of radiation in a Low Dose CT is small.

False Negatives: No test, including Low Dose CT Lung Screening, is perfect. It is possible you may have a medical condition, including lung cancer, that is not found during your screening. This is called a false negative.

False Positive/Additional Testing: Low Dose CT lung screening very often finds something in the lung that could be cancer but in fact, is not. This is called a false positive. False positive tests can cause anxiety, and, in order to make sure a finding is not cancer, additional tests may be required.

Does insurance cover the Low Dose CT Lung Screening?

Most insurance companies now cover the Low Dose CT Lung Screening if you meet the criteria — no symptoms and are at high risk based on age and smoking history.