Catching lung cancer early and treating it quickly leads to the best hope of beating the disease. But, most lung cancers are diagnosed at advanced stages when signs and symptoms are present, which makes them harder to treat. Lung cancer screening — a test that looks for possible cancer before you have symptoms — offers hope for early detection, when surgery is a potential cure.

A low-dose helical computed tomography (CT) scan of the chest is a rapid, painless exam that takes multiple 3-dimensional pictures of the chest by delivering X-rays in a spiral motion around the body. As compared to a traditional CT scan, a low-dose CT scan uses up to five times less radiation.

Who should be screened for lung cancer?

Lung cancer screening is for people at high risk of developing lung cancer so that it can be caught at an early stage, when the chances of beating this disease are the greatest. This high-risk group includes people who fit all of the following criteria:

• Have a history of heavy smoking with at least 30 pack-year (e.g. a pack a day for 30 years or two packs a day for 15 years).
• Are current smokers or former smokers who quit within the past 15 years.
• Are between the ages of 50 and 77.

If you suspect that you’re at high risk for lung cancer, it’s important to talk to your primary care physician, who will determine whether screening is appropriate and order the exam. Read more about lung cancer screening at Johns Hopkins.