Knowing November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month Could Save Your Life

With the holiday season upon us, many people may not realize November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month, but it’s definitely worth knowing – especially if you have risk factors, including smoking.  

Lung cancer is the number one cancer killer in America, killing more people than breast, colon and prostate cancer combined. Approximately 200,000 Americans are diagnosed with lung cancer each year. 

The deadly numbers could be due in part because often there are no symptoms until the cancer has spread. 

To help make sure that doesn’t happen, Silver Cross Hospital in New Lenox has a robust lung cancer screening program to help eligible patients get a low-dose CT scan and other services in an effort to catch lung cancer early. 

“After a brief check in process, a low-dose lung CT scan only takes about a minute to perform and it could save your life,” said Amy Ittersagen, Silver Cross Lung Program Coordinator. 

To qualify for scheduling a Lung Cancer Screening Low Dose CT Scan, you will need a referral from your doctor. You should strongly consider asking your primary care physician for a referral if you: 

• Are 50 to 80 years old;
• Have smoked at least one pack of cigarettes a day for 20 years and are a current smoker, or have quit within the past 15 years;

OR

• Smoked a 1/2 pack a day for 40 years, are a current smoker or have quit within the past 15 years; and
• Are in generally in good health 

If you aren’t sure if you meet the above criteria or have questions about lung cancer screening, Ittersagen is here to help. She can be reached by calling the Silver Cross Lung Cancer Screening Program at 815-300-LUNG (5864). She’ll ask a few questions and take your information to help determine if you qualify. If so, she can help contact your doctor for the referral. Their doctors will get the results in three or four days, she said. 

“And the results can be, ‘Everything is good. See you next year.’ Or ‘We found a suspicious area in the lungs that should be checked out,’” Ittersagen said. 

“The idea is to catch lung changes early so they can be monitored and treated more successfully. Also, we want to set up a schedule, like for mammograms, for people to get enrolled in annual lung screenings.” 

Ittersagen said it’s not unusual for these changes to show up on scans from year to year. Some findings are benign, while other findings may need closer follow-up, even if the patients have not had any symptoms. Patients with smaller lung nodules and lung changes usually have no symptoms and that is why screening annually is so important. 

For more information, call 815-300-LUNG (5864).