Why Former Smokers Need Yearly Lung Scans

You quit smoking. That was a powerful step for your health. But even years after your last cigarette or cigar, your lungs may still carry risks we can’t see — until it’s too late.

That’s why yearly lung scans are important. These quick, affordable tests can detect lung cancer in its earliest, most treatable stage, often before you feel any symptoms.

Key Takeaways: Lung Scans For Former Smokers

• Even if you stopped smoking more than 15 years ago, you should discuss the need for yearly lung cancer screening with your doctor.
• Doctors use a calculation called “pack years” to help determine your eligibility for lung cancer screening.
• A yearly low-dose CT scan can catch lung cancer in its earliest stages, when cancer is easiest to treat.

Early Lung Cancer Detection Changes Everything

“Lung cancer can develop even years after someone stops smoking,” said Brian Dickover, MD, a pulmonary medicine physician with Franciscan Physician Network in Michigan City. “That’s why yearly screenings are so important. The smaller the cancer, the easier it is to treat and the better chance someone has of a longer survival.”

Most lung cancers don’t cause symptoms until the disease has advanced. That’s why early-stage detection through a yearly low-dose CT scan can be lifesaving. At an early stage, we can treat some lung cancer with a simple surgery, before you need more invasive treatments like chemotherapy or radiation.

Yearly scans give your care team a clear view of changes in your lungs over time. If we catch even the smallest signs of concern, we can act early, when it matters most.

"You may have a normal scan one year," said Faisal Khan, MD, a Greenwood interventional pulmonologist who chooses to practice at Franciscan Health Indianapolis. "But the way the lung cancer pathophysiology evolves, it may show up within a year still in an early stage, but if you wait more than that, then you may not get the same impact and benefit as you would if you're doing a yearly scan."

Do I Still Need Lung Cancer Screening If I Quit Smoking?

Yes. Even long after you’ve quit, your lungs are still at risk.

“If you smoked one pack a day for 20 years, are at least 50 years old, and are a current or former smoker with no symptoms of lung cancer, you’re eligible,” said Sandra Ogungbemi, MD, an interventional pulmonologist at Franciscan Health Interventional Pulmonology Clinic in Indianapolis.

Even if you quit more than 15 years ago, it’s worth it to discuss lung cancer screening with your provider.

“After 15 years, your risk drops significantly — up to 90 percent risk reduction,” Dr. Ogungbemi said. “That’s why it’s so important to quit.”

What’s A Low-Dose CT Lung Scan?

A low-dose computed tomography (CT) scan takes detailed images of your lungs using minimal radiation. It’s a fast, painless, noninvasive way to check for signs of lung cancer.

And it’s more affordable than you may think. Many Franciscan Health locations offer low-dose CT scans for just $49.

Pack Years: What They Are And Why They Matter

Doctors use a calculation called “pack years” to help determine your screening needs. Multiply the number of packs you smoked per day by the number of years you smoked. One pack a day for 20 years? That’s 20 pack years. Two packs a day for 10 years? Also, 20 pack years.

If your total hits 20 or more, lung cancer screening could save your life.

Why Aren’t More People Getting Lung Cancer Screening?

Despite the lifesaving potential of lung cancer screening, far too few people take advantage of it.

“Sixteen million people are eligible for lung cancer screening in the U.S., and we’re only screening 16 percent,” said Dr. Ogungbemi. “That’s the national average — and it’s also where Indiana stands. We have a long way to go.”

Common reasons people hesitate to schedule their yearly lung scan include:

• Awareness– Many former smokers don’t know they’re still at risk.
• Cost– Many locations offer scans for just $49.
• Fear– The scan is quick and painless; your results can give peace of mind.
• Radiation– Low-dose CT scans use very little radiation, less than what we get from natural background exposure.

Former Smokers And Cigar Users: What You Should Know

Dr. Ogungbemi debunked a few common myths: “Some people say, ‘I don’t inhale cigars.’ But even if you don’t deeply inhale, the tar, nicotine and carbon monoxide can still cause cancer, including head and neck cancers. And one large cigar is about the same as smoking a pack of cigarettes.”

Lung Cancer Screening: Don’t Wait To Take Action

“Something can show up in just one year,” Dr. Dickover said. “That’s why it’s so important to return annually. The earlier we detect something, the better your outcome.”

“What I would say to someone who has hesitancy to get screened is that the risk they subjected themselves to in smoking is greater than the risk of the scan,” he added. “The cost of cigarettes when they were smoking is greater than any cost they may have to afford for the scan. And it’s better to treat someone early for lung cancer than wait — treatment is more difficult later, and the risk of complications and suffering increases.”

Dr. Dickover has seen screening make a major difference.

“We’ve had patients with very small lung cancers found so early that they got treatment with surgery — and didn’t need any additional treatment,” he said.

You took a powerful step when you quit smoking. Now take the next step, schedule your yearly lung scan and stay on top of your health.

Frequently Asked Questions: Lung Scans & Smokers

How often should smokers have lung scans?

Smokes who qualify for lung scans should continue this screening yearly.

"Compared to other screenings where there may be a gap of a few years, for lung cancer screening, it's imperative — the benefit that has been documented in the literature and shown in the literature —  if you qualify for a screening, you get screening every year," Dr. Khan said. "You may have a normal scan one year, but the way the lung cancer pathophysiology evolves, it may show up within a year still in an early stage, but if you wait more than that, then you may not get the same impact and benefit as you would if you're doing a yearly scan."

Why is lung cancer screening often offered between ages 50 and 80?

"Lung cancer, the majority of the time will present itself in the earlier years of 50 to 80 range," Dr. Khan said. "So most of people would have presented by that age, time, or that limit. From a larger population standpoint, the data did not show that there was much impact if you started screening older individuals, both in terms of detection and in terms of outcomes because the treatment modalities were not as, widely applicable as in a younger demographic.

"Traditionally, the concern was that because the idea is that going to do the screening to have a positive impact on the survival, the life expectancy after the age of 80 is low because generally in that demographic, there are comorbidities. And even if you detect the cancer, the treatment options or applicability of the treatment options may be low because of the other medical factors in that individual."

Do I need to worry about lung cancer screening if I don't have symptoms?

"If you're a smoker and you're falling in the high risk category, don't wait for the symptoms," Dr. Khan said. "Just recognize that the lung is a very large organ. And a potential cancer has to grow to a certain size to give symptoms, but when it grows to that size, it's already, majority of the time in a late stage where you can maybe control the disease but not cure it.

"If you're not having symptoms and you're a smoker for many years, that may be a false assurance that you don't have a cancer because it may be brewing in your body and you just don't know about it. And by the time you know, it's too late."

Where can I get a lung scan?

Franciscan Health offers lung scans at locations across Indiana.