Cancer can strike at any age, often without symptoms.
asserted
Cancer → strike → symptoms
For many cancers, routine screening remains the best way to detect the disease early and reduce the risk of death.
asserted
screening → remain → death
For lung cancer, screening guidelines can vary, as the disease doesn’t always show obvious signals and can occur in both smokers and never-smokers.
asserted
disease → vary → smokers
Daniel J. Boffa, M.D., chair of the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer and a thoracic surgeon at Yale University, noted that lung cancer screening is "one of the most powerful ways" to boost survival.
asserted
screening → note → survival
"It reduces the chance of people dying of lung cancer by 20%," he told Fox News Digital.
asserted
he → reduce → Digital
The share of Americans who are eligible for screening but don’t comply translates to "tens of thousands of preventable deaths every year," according to Boffa.
uncertain
who → comply → Boffa
"I'm hoping that within four or five years, a screening CT scan will only be confirmatory after they have a positive blood test done at your doctor's office," he added.
asserted
he → hop → office
That approach could make screening easier and potentially help detect more lung cancers, according to the doctor.
uncertain
screening → make → doctor
In a recent interview with Fox News Digital, Lary Robinson, M.D., an oncologist at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida, noted that in most cases, early-stage lung cancer will not come with any symptoms.
asserted
cancer → note → symptoms
In those who do have symptoms, however, the most common are related to the lungs, including a persistent cough, shortness of breath or coughing up blood.
asserted
common → have → blood
Unexplained weight loss can result from any form of cancer, according to the oncologist.
uncertain
loss → result → oncologist
Neurological symptoms, like persistent headaches, may also warrant seeing a doctor.
uncertain
symptoms → warrant → doctor
Current lung cancer screening guidelines recommend an annual low-dose CT scan for people between the ages of 50 and 80 who currently smoke or have a history of smoking or have at least a 20 pack-year history of smoking, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS).
uncertain
who → recommend → Society
Before making the decision to get screened, individuals should speak with their healthcare providers about the purpose of the screening and how it’s done, as well as the benefits, limits and possible harms, ACS advised.
asserted
ACS → make → screening
Those who still smoke should be counseled about quitting and offered interventions and resources to help.
asserted
who → smoke → interventions
Individuals with serious health problems that will "likely limit" their lifespan should not be screened, according to ACS, as well as those who won’t be able to get treatment if lung cancer is detected.
uncertain
cancer → limit → treatment
Although one out of seven lung cancers will affect someone who has never smoked, there is currently not a set screening guideline for never-smokers.
asserted
who → affect → smokers
Finding individuals who would benefit from screening is an "intense area of research," according to Boffa.
uncertain
who → find → Boffa
For now, people with a direct family history of lung cancer without smoking should consider annual screenings, as should higher-risk demographics like Asian women.
asserted
demographics → smoke → women
"I would anticipate that in the next year or two, we will have better guidance for people who are at risk for lung cancer, but never smoked," Boffa predicted.
asserted
Boffa → anticipate → cancer
What to expect
Boffa noted that advances in lung cancer treatment have improved survival, even at advanced stages, so screening should not be viewed as a pathway to a terminal diagnosis.
asserted
screening → expect → diagnosis
"People are really reluctant to be diagnosed with lung cancer because it does carry a stigma," Boffa said.
asserted
Boffa → diagnose → stigma
"For years, there was a reputation that it was a terminal diagnosis.
asserted
it → be → years
It's just been amazing what research has done for lung cancer.
asserted
research → do → cancer
"
Most screenings detect a lung nodule or other abnormality, which is more often an infection, scar or inflammation than a tumor, he said.
asserted
he → detect → tumor
In about one-third of patients, lung cancer screenings also detect unrelated health issues, including the hardening of heart arteries or a nodule in another part of the body.
asserted
screenings → detect → body
"The reality is over 99% of nodules are actually benign," Boffa said.
asserted
Boffa → say → nodules
"And so, you need to have a conversation about what you are going to do with that information."
asserted
you → need → information
"I think having that conversation ahead of time is really important so that expectations are set – it's not uncommon to find something.
asserted
it → think → something
Most of the time, it's not something that's going to affect how long you live."
asserted
you → go → time
The doctor noted that the CT scan only takes a couple of minutes to perform and does not take place in an enclosed space like an MRI.
asserted
scan → note → MRI
"People who get claustrophobic usually don't have a hard time with lung cancer screening," Boffa said.
asserted
Boffa → get → screening
"And it usually takes a few days to get a report back."
asserted
it → take → report
For those who are over 50 with a history of smoking, Boffa reiterated that getting screened is "one of the most powerful things you can do to reduce your chances of having your life shortened by lung cancer."
asserted
life → reiterate → cancer
The Aporia
