Potential Complications of Lung Cancer Screening:
Discomfort:
Is a CT scan for lung cancer screening uncomfortable?
No.
When you get to the clinic or hospital where the CT scan will be done, you will have to register and provide medical insurance information.
When you are taken to the CT scanning room,
You will not have to undress.
No intravenous needle or injection is needed.
You will be asked to lie down flat on your back on a padded platform and asked to breathe in, then breathe out and hold your breath for a few seconds while the platform moves into and out of a donut shaped scanner.
The scanner is “open” and does not trigger claustrophobia anxiety in most people.
You will be asked to remain lying down for a few minutes, until it is confirmed that the scan was obtained, then helped up and leave the room.
In some centers, you may wait until after the radiologist reads the scan and gives you a report before leaving.
Most persons agree that CT screening has less discomfort than screening tests for cancer of the breast, cervix, colon and prostate.