The Philadelphia Inquirer reports on the impact of low-dose CT screening in the local community. 

Screening is recommended for smokers age 55 and older who have smoked 30 pack years — a pack a day for 30 years or two packs a day for 15 years, for example. They also need to have smoked sometime over the last 15 years. Insurance will pay for the screening. The initial scan will be covered without co-pay for those meeting the high-risk criteria who are ages 55 to 80 and have private insurance, or are 55 to 77 and have Medicare, according to the ALA.

For patients who don’t have any signs or symptoms of lung cancer, screening identifies early stage cancer “in about 4% or 5% of them,” said [Nathaniel Evans III, director of thoracic surgery at Jefferson Health].

And if they are still smoking, patients who are screened also get counseling for smoking cessation, Evans said.

Read more from The Philadelphia Inquirer.