Current or former smoker? Worried about lung cancer? Getting a lung cancer screening might be the answer.
First Step: Find Out Your Risk
First, you need to talk to your doctor. You'll need to review your smoking history and your health. During this visit, you'll find out your risk for lung cancer. If you're a high-risk smoker, you may qualify for a screening.
You don't need to be a UVA Health patient to get screened.
Advanced CT Technology Recognition
The Lung Cancer Alliance designated UVA Health as a Screening Center of Excellence. This means we follow national guidelines. We also follow best practices developed by the National Lung Screening Trial for:
- Scan quality
- Radiation dose
- Diagnostic procedures
The American College of Radiology (ACR) has accredited four of our locations for:
- Meeting rigorous safety and diagnostic care measures
- Making sure proper follow-up procedures take place
- Offering programs to high-risk lung cancer patients to help them quit smoking
You can get a lung cancer screening at these accredited locations:
Do You Qualify for a Lung Cancer Screening?
Lung cancer screening is for people at higher risk for lung cancer because of their smoking history. You should get screened if you’re a current or former smoker who:
- Has a smoking history of 20 pack years or more
- Is 50-80 years old
Your "pack years" are how many packs of cigarettes you smoked a day multiplied by the years you smoked. Use this tool to find your pack years.
Costs & Insurance
Talk to your provider about what your plan covers.
Do you have Medicaid or Medicare? Find out how they pay for lung screenings.
Don't know if you can pay? No matter what, call us.
Screening Shows a Lung Nodule? Next Steps
Most lung nodules turn out to be benign. But your doctor may not be able to tell until they take a small sample (biopsy) of the nodule and test it.
UVA Health is the first in the region to offer a lung biopsy that is robotic assisted. Known as Ion, this system helps doctors better reach very tiny nodules in far corners of the lungs. These are areas that used to be out of reach.
Ion is made by Intuitive, the pioneer in robotic-assisted surgery with da Vinci systems.
Ask your physician if this tool is right for you.
What To Expect During a Lung Biopsy
Your physician will insert a bronchoscope (very thin, bendable tube with a camera) down your airway to see inside your lungs.
Once at the location of the nodule, your physician will lock the bronchoscope into place. Then they’ll thread biopsy tools through the tube to take a sample of your lung tissue.
If your biopsy shows cancer, you'll get lifesaving lung cancer treatment from a highly skilled team of experts.