Breathe easy. Regular lung cancer screenings could prevent thousands of deaths.

Todd Hoopman, M.D., wants to flip the script when it comes to detecting lung cancer.

The pulmonologist from North Idaho Lung & Asthma says 75 percent of lung cancer patients are in stage 3 or stage 4 of the disease by the time it’s discovered. 

And that’s really bad news. 

The American Lung Association estimates 224,000 people in the United States will be diagnosed with lung cancer this year. Lung cancer is the deadliest form of cancer for men and women. An estimated 158,080 Americans are expected to die from lung cancer in 2016, accounting for approximately 27 percent of all cancer deaths. More lives are lost to lung cancer than to colorectal, pancreatic, breast, and prostate cancers combined. 

"Detecting and treating lung cancers at an early stage is vitally important to improving patient survival,” said Hoopman, director of the medical lung cancer screening clinic  “When a lung cancer has become more advanced it causes additional damage to lung tissue that may have already been compromised by prior tobacco abuse.  Flipping the numbers completely around and detecting more cancers at stage 1 or stage 2 is our goal and will help save lives."

The American Lung Association estimates that at least 8.6 million Americans qualify as high risk for lung cancer and are recommended to receive annual screenings with low-dose CT scans. If half of these high risk individuals were screened, over 13,000 lung cancer deaths could be prevented every year. 

Screening for individuals at high risk has the potential to dramatically improve lung cancer survival rates by finding the disease at an earlier, more treatable stage.  Hoopman and other medical professionals across the country would like to see lung screenings become as routine as mammograms, colonoscopies and prostate exams. 

Kootenai Outpatient Imaging performed 32 lung cancer screening CT exams in 2015. So far in 2016, it has performed 135 lung screenings and discovered four cases of lung cancer.

“We’re looking for people who don’t have symptoms of lung cancer,” said Hoopman. “They need to be an active smoker or have quit in the last 15 years. And if they have 30 or more pack years, they’re an excellent candidate for a lung screening.” 

Pack years are calculated by multiplying the number of packs of cigarettes smoked per day by the number of years the person has smoked.  One pack year is equal to smoking 20 cigarettes (one pack) per day for a year.  A person who has smoked two packs per day for 35 years has 70 pack years in their lungs. 

Smoking, a main cause of small cell and non-small cell lung cancer, contributes to 80 percent and 90 percent of lung cancer deaths in women and men, respectively. Men who smoke are 23 times more likely to develop lung cancer. Women smokers are 13 times more likely compared to people who never smoked.

Today is the Great American Smokeout, a national event by the American Cancer Society, where people commit themselves to quit using cigarettes and other tobacco products. 

“It’s never too late to stop smoking,” said Hoopman. “I’ve had lung cancer patients come in and say, ‘I finally stopped.’”

For more information on the Great American Smokeout, 

http://www.cancer.org/healthy/stayawayfromtobacco/greatamericansmokeout/

For information on the smoking cessation program at Kootenai Health, email BeSmokeFree@kh.org

The ABCs of lung screenings

What: Low-dose computed tomography screenings to detect lung cancer

Where: Kootenai Outpatient Imaging, 700 Ironwood Drive, Suite 175 in Coeur d’Alene

What to expect: For a low-dose CT screening, you will lie flat on the exam table. Pillows and straps may be used for comfort and to help you maintain the correct position. Patients need to remain still during the exam. The table will move through the scanner to the correct starting position for the scans. Then, while you hold your breath for 5 to 10 seconds, the table will move through the machine as the actual CT scan is done. From check-in to exam completion, it takes approximately 30 minutes. 

Referral required: The exam does require a physician/provider’s order, so patients need to contact their primary care provider to see if they are a candidate.  If the patient doesn’t have a provider, he or she can receive help finding one by calling the Kootenai Health Appointment Center at (208) 625-6767. 

Tell me more...

Are lung screenings covered by my insurance?

Most private insurance plans cover the procedure once a year. Medicare Part B covers annual lung screenings provided the person meets certain criteria. 

• They're 55-77.
• They're asymptomatic (they don’t have signs or symptoms of lung cancer).
• They're either a current smoker or have quit smoking within the last 15 years.
• They have a tobacco smoking history of at least 30 “pack years” (an average of one pack a day for 30 years).
• They get a written order from their physician or qualified nonphysician practitioner.

Why get a lung screening?

If you’re at high-risk for lung cancer, schedule a screening today — even if you don’t have any symptoms (coughing up blood, nagging cough, shortness of breath). Early detection saves lives! 

For more information about screenings, email lungcancerscreening@kh.org 

By MARC STEWART

Staff Writer