Should I be screened for lung cancer?
What are the potential complications of lung cancer screening? Current publications on lung cancer screening conclude that complications of screening are relatively minor and are outweighed by benefits. Nevertheless, Medicare regulations insist that those who want to be screened must be provided with information on a long list of possible complications. Why? By the early …
Continue reading “What are to potential risks and complications of CT screening for lung cancer?”
The web page is designed to serve as a decision aid in shared decision making for lung cancer screening. What is shared decision making? Shared decision making is a relatively new concept in medicine that goes beyond what was previously known as “informed consent”. The idea behind it is, idealistically, a good one; that …
The web page is designed to serve as a decision aid in shared decision making for lung cancer screening. What is shared decision making? Shared decision making is a relatively new concept in medicine that goes beyond what was previously known as “informed consent”. The idea behind it is, idealistically, a good one; that …
If you have read the prior sections, reviewed the information on your individual risk of lung cancer and would consider participating in a CT screening program, the first thing that you need to know is what your benefits might be. The benefits to be discussed are conditional. They apply to an individual who agrees to …
Continue reading “What benefits can I expect from lung cancer CT screening?”
Even though the efficacy of CT screening in preventing lung cancer deaths was definitively established by a randomized control trial in 2011, very few of those at known high risk have been screened over the last nine years. Recent estimates vary between 2 and 6%. As described in an earlier page, studies reported in 1986 …
Continue reading “Why are so few people screened for lung cancer in 2020?”
What is “screening” in medicine? Screening is based upon the simple idea that results of treatment of a disease are better – i.e. lower chance of death, faster recovery, fewer complications, less disability, less expense – when a disease has been diagnosed at an early stage, before it has caused permanent damage. There are many ways …
To the best of my knowledge, five methods have been used to try to detect lung cancers at a small size, before they have spread (metastasized) to lymph nodes or other body organs.’ 1. Chest roentgenogram (chest x-ray) 2. Computerized tomography (CT scan) 3. Cytology- looking at cells in secretions under the microscope 4. DNA …
Continue reading “How can doctors detect small, early-stage -curable – lung cancers?”
Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer death in the U.S.- by a large margin.. Your personal risk of getting lung cancer depends upon a number of risk “factors”. Sex In the past it was primarily a disease of men, but this is no longer true. Lung cancer now kills more women than any …
Hello. I am Frederic W. Grannis Jr. M.D., a retired thoracic surgeon who spent more than 40 years treating patients with lung cancer. As my career progressed, I came to realize that, despite the efforts of thousands of bright, hard working people and the constant addition of new drugs, treatment of lung cancer cures only …
Continue reading “Are you concerned about your personal risk of lung cancer?”