Nashoba Valley Medical Center (NVMC) now provides lung cancer screenings to adult patients who are current or former smokers who meet specific criteria. NVMC’s Low-Dose CT lung cancer screening is offered at its imaging and radiology department located at 200 Groton Road in Ayer.
Lung cancer screening looks for signs of the disease before there are any symptoms in patients who are at high risk. Low-Dose CT lung cancer screening uses state-of-the-art computed tomography (CT) to take pictures of the lungs to detect potentially treatable lung cancers.
“Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the U.S., with more people dying of lung cancer than breast, colon and prostate cancers combined,” said Nashoba Valley Medical Center Radiologist Matthew Foley, MD. “The goal of Low-Dose CT lung cancer screening is to detect lung cancer when it is very small, before it has spread to other sites in the body.”
Annual lung cancer screening by Low-Dose CT in those that qualify has been proven to reduce the chances of dying from lung cancer by 20 percent. Nationally, it has been determined that Low-Dose CT lung cancer screening should be offered annually to adults who meet the following criteria: between the ages of 55-77; asymptomatic with no signs or symptoms of lung cancer, and no major medical problems that would prevent cancer work-up and treatments if discovered during screening; current smoker or quit smoking within the past 15 years; or has a tobacco smoking history of 30+ pack years.
“We are very pleased to offer this new potential lifesaving screening imaging service to our patients,” said Salvatore Perla, president of Nashoba Valley Medical Center. “And, we are very pleased to launch this service during November when the American Cancer Society’s Great American Smoke Out takes place on November 17.”
The best action a current smoker can take to reduce their risk of lung cancer is to stop smoking. It is more effective than any test or intervention to reduce their risk.
Before scheduling a Low-Dose CT lung cancer screening, a patient should speak with their primary care physician or pulmonologist on whether the test will be beneficial. To learn more about Nashoba Valley Medical Center’s Low-Dose CT lung screening program, please call 978-784-9270 or visit www.nashobamed.org/service-directory/imaging-and-radiology.
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