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Atrium Health aims to find lung cancer early – when it’s most treatable. Our Lung Cancer Screening Program screens patients who are at high risk for lung cancer and connects them to advanced, comprehensive care if cancer is found.
Lung cancer is the number 1 cause of cancer death in the United States, for men and women. Often signs or symptoms don’t develop until lung cancer reaches an advanced stage, when it spreads to other parts of the body – and is very difficult to cure.
Find out if lung cancer screening is right for you.
Lung cancer screening is quick and painless. We use a low-dose CT scan to take a detailed 3D picture of your lungs, using a small amount of radiation (up to 90% less than a conventional CT scan). The CT may show normal, healthy lung tissue. Or it may show a small, round growth (nodule) or other findings like emphysema (a lung condition that causes shortness of breath). Any abnormal findings will be carefully reviewed by our expert team and a diagnosis and treatment plan will follow when needed.
You’re at a higher risk of getting lung cancer depending on your age and smoking history. The U.S. cancer taskforce in charge of providing preventive efforts recently released new guidelines for lung screening. The age range is expanded, and the number of packs smoked in a year is even lower – meaning you may now be encouraged to get screened for lung cancer.
You may be eligible for lung screening if you:
If you’re eligible and decide to be screened for lung cancer, it’s important to be screened once a year, every year, until you’re no longer considered to be at high risk of developing lung cancer. Still not sure if you're eligible? Take a quiz to find out.
We offer the latest approaches in screening, diagnosing and treating lung cancer. Here’s what you can expect from our team of specialists:
You’ll have a shared decision-making conversation with your provider to go over your smoking history, eligibility for screening, the benefits and risks of low-dose CT scans, and more. After this appointment, your lung screening will be scheduled.
Similar to a colonoscopy or mammogram screening, you’ll show up for your scheduled appointment at one of our radiology facilities, get checked in, receive the low-dose CT scan and then be on your way. The appointment should only take about 20 minutes from start to finish.
Your screening results will be posted to your MyAtriumHealth account. Your provider may share your results with you over the phone as well. Don't have a MyAtriumHealth account? Sign up now.
When we see a lung nodule or anything that looks abnormal on an imaging scan, we’ll investigate to determine next steps, which may include:
Whether caught in the early stages or late, we’ll connect you to the highest-quality lung cancer treatment at Cancer Life Center at Atrium Health Navicent. Depending on your case, you may undergo minimally invasive thoracic surgery to have a lung nodule removed, which is the most common treatment for early-stage lung cancer. Or you may receive nonsurgical treatment, like targeted radiation therapy.
To develop the very best care plan for you, we tap into the combined expertise of a range of specialists, which may include radiologists, pulmonologists, thoracic surgeons, screening navigators, oncologists and radiation oncologists. Working as one team, we come up with the most effective plan for your unique case. We also take the time to listen to your thoughts and concerns and make sure you're involved in decisions about your care.
If you’re still smoking and are ready to quit, our tobacco cessation program can help. We can prescribe medication to manage your urges, identify your smoking triggers and help you come up with a plan to quit. Learn more at 478-633-8850.
Most major insurance plans and Medicare do cover lung screening though some have different requirements for screenings to be covered. For instance, some plans like Medicare may only cover screening for ages 50 to 77. To understand cost and coverage, contact your insurance provider.
A lung nodule is a small, round abnormal growth of tissue that remains in the lung following an infection, like pneumonia or bronchitis, or for some other reason.
Fortunately, most lung nodules – well over 90% – are noncancerous.
A lung nodule looks like a small dot on the CT scan that is usually surrounded by normal lung tissue.
A low-dose CT scan uses radiation to take pictures of your lungs. Radiation can increase a person’s risk of developing cancer. But the amount of radiation you receive during a low-dose CT scan is very small, about half the amount you’re exposed to each year doing everyday activities. You can talk to your provider about the risks versus the benefits during your pre-screening appointment.
We have four convenient lung cancer screening locations. Call 478-633-9111 to be connected to a screening site near you.
1650 Hardeman Avenue, Macon
120 North Lee Street, Forsyth
1960 GA-247CONN, Byron
821 N Cobb St, Milledgeville