CT Cancer Screening
The American Cancer Society suggests CT lung cancer screenings for high-risk patients. This includes anyone who has smoked a pack of cigarettes a day for 30 years or two packs a day for 15 years, even if you have quit within the last 15 years. If this describes you, and you’re between the ages of 55 and 74, consider being screened annually.
Other factors that worsen the effects of smoking, such as a family history of cancer or significant exposure to airborne carcinogens, can also increase your risk of disease.
CT lung cancer screenings use a low dose of radiation to help doctors find tumors and cancer-related abnormalities even at a very early stage — smaller than 1 cm in size.
Early detection greatly improves survival rates for lung cancer patients. In fact, recent studies show that CT lung cancer screenings have proven to reduce the risk of death from lung cancer by 20%.
Most insurance providers in Montana now cover CT lung cancer screenings without requiring a co-pay if you have been referred by your healthcare provider.
