November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The WVU Cancer Institute Lung Cancer Screening Program will provide video and telephone screenings for current and former smokers all month long in November for Lung Cancer Awareness Month. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among both men and women in the United States.
Eligible patients include those who:
- Are between the ages of 55-77
- Have a >30 pack year smoking history
- Are a current smoker or have quit smoking in the past 15 years
- Have not received a chest CT scan in the last 12 months
Lung cancer screening is important because most people have no symptoms until the cancer is advanced. Using a low-dose CT (LDCT) scan of the chest, lung cancer screening can detect lung cancer at its earliest stages and reduce the mortality rate by up to 20 percent for eligible, high-risk individuals.
The WVU Cancer Institute Lung Cancer Screening Program accepts self-referrals or referrals made by primary care providers or specialists. Pre-registration is required.
Patients will be scheduled for a video or telephone visit, which will include a comprehensive history and exam by a nurse practitioner, as well as smoking cessation counseling. Eligible high-risk patients will be referred for a LDCT scan.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will cover the cost of the LDCT scan for those who meet all eligibility criteria.
Please call 304-598-6516 to register for lung cancer screening video or telephone visits.
For more information on the WVU Cancer Institute, visit WVUMedicine.org/Cancer.