Screening in the direction of lung cancer will soon begin. What you need to know if you smoke or smoke

From July, qualifying Australians will be displayed Lung cancer As part of the first fresh country Cancer screening Program for almost 20 years.

The program aims to detect lung cancer early before symptoms and spread of cancer appear. It is expected that this is early detection and treatment Save life.

Why lung cancer?

Lung cancer It is the fifth most diagnosed Australian cancer, but it causes the largest number of deaths due to cancer.

His more common In Aborigines and Torres Strait Islander people, rural and remote Australians and a group of lower income than in the general population.

GenerallyLess than one in five patients with lung cancer will survive five years. But for people diagnosed, when the cancer is diminutive and did not spread, two -thirds of people survived five years.

Who qualifies?

The screening program in the field of lung cancer is only focused on people with higher risk of lung cancer, based on their smoking history and age. This differs from the screening program in the entire population, such as screening for intestinal cancer, based on the age.

Lung cancer program people’s screens 50-70 years without signs or symptoms of lung cancer, such as shortness of breath, persistent cough, coughing, chest pain, very tired or losing weight.

To qualify, current smokers must also have a history of at least 30 “Package of years“

For example, if you smoke one package (20 cigarettes) a day, i.e. one year. Smoking two packages a day for six months (half a year) is also the year of the package.

People who have quit smoking in the last ten years are also eligible, but have gathered 30 or more years before smoking.

What includes screening?

Ask your general doctor or healthcare employee if you are entitled. If so, you will be directed to a low dose computed tomography scan (CT). It uses much lower doses of x -rays than ordinary CT, but it is enough to find lungs. These are diminutive lumps that can be lumps of cancer cells, inflammatory cells or scars against aged infections.

Imaging includes lying on the table for 10-15 minutes, while the scanner takes pictures of your chest. So people must also be able to lie flat in the scanner to be part of the program.

After scanning, the results are sent to you, your family doctor and National Register of Screening. You will contact this if the scan is normal and then reminds you to check again.

If your scan has the arrangements that must be followed, you will be sent back to the general doctor who can organize another scanning three to 12 months.

If you are suspected of lung cancer, you will be directed to a lung specialist for further tests.

What are the benefits and risk?

International trial Show screening people with high risk of lung cancer, reduce their chance before premature dying, and the benefits exceed all damage.

The goal is Save life By Increasing detection With Stadium disease 1 (Petite cancer, 4 centimeters or less, circumscribed to the lungs), which has a better chance of effective treatment.

The risk of exposure to radiation is minimized using low dose CT screening.

The second biggest risk is false positive. At this point, imaging suggests cancer, but further tests exclude it. It varies depending on almost almost almost one in ten to another on two Of those who have their first scan. If imaging suggests cancer, this usually requires a repetitive scan. But o one in 100 Of those whose imaging suggests cancer, but later it turned out that it has no invasive biopsy. This includes the removal of the nodule sample to check if it contains cancer cells.

Some people have been diagnosed with cancer that will never cause a problem in their lives, for example because they are slowly growing or die of other diseases first. This so -called excessive diagnosis is different from not diagnosed with two -thirds diagnosed lung cancerdepending on the test.

How much will it cost?

Australia government intended $ 264 million in four years for lung cancer test and $ 101 million a year.

The initial consultation of the GP will be free if the bills for loose GP, and if not, you can be charged with a consultation fee. This can be a barrier in taking screening. Further investigations and consultations will be calculated as usual.

It will not be cost tomography in low dose.

What should I do?

If you have 50-70 and a hefty smoker, see your family doctor on screening for lung cancer. But greater profit When it comes to reducing the risk of lung cancer, it also involves smoking.

If you have already given up smoking, you have already reduced the risk of lung cancer. However, because lung cancer may take several years to develop or show on the CT skan, see your family doctor, if you have once been a hefty smoker, but you gave up in the last ten years to see if you qualify for screening.

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This is the first article in our series “Finding Lung Cancer”, which is investigating the first fresh cancer screening program in Australia for almost 20 years.

There is more information about the program available. If you need support to quit smoking, call Quitline at 13 78 48.