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Low dose CT lung cancer screenings available for smokers

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Jane Bozelka, smoked for 40 years until a lung cancer screening revealed Stage III-a lung cancer. Fortunately, Jane underwent a robotic lobectomy and is doing well. She believes the screening saved her life.

Jane Bozelka

If you’re a smoker (or ex-smoker) between the ages of 55 to 79 who has smoked at least 1 pack per day within the last 30 years or at least 2 packs per day for 15 years (also referred to as pack years), you may be at high risk and should consider a screening.

Florida Hospital offers a low dose CT cancer screening to accurately detect signs of lung cancer. Medical studies have shown cure rates significantly improve when the disease is detected and treated at the earliest stages.

A low dose CT screening takes minutes and is a noninvasive, painless procedure that uses low dose X-rays to screen your lungs for cancerous lesions. These screenings are offered at Florida Hospital and Florida Radiology Imaging locations throughout Central Florida.

A lung cancer care coordinator is available to assist participants every step of the way, especially to make sure you meet the criteria for screening.

Lung cancer screenings are recommended annually for current and former smokers by the United States Preventive Services Task Force, American College of Chest Physicians and the National Comprehensive Cancer Network.

According to the National Institutes of Health, about 224,000 Americans will be diagnosed with lung cancer this year, and it's the leading cause of cancer deaths for American men and women. An estimated 158,000 lung cancer deaths nationwide will occur this year. This number has declined in recent years, partly because of better detection and fewer people smoking.

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