From the moment you took the first puff of a cigarette, you became susceptible to the devastating disease of lung cancer. And whether you took your last puff an hour ago or twenty years ago, you are at risk…and you are not alone.
Studies show that there are over 20 million former smokers in the United States, with countless more battling with the habit at this very moment. And while the health risks associated with smoking are highly publicized, it can often be a challenge to quit. One of the most serious of health risks associated with smoking is lung cancer. Designated as the leading cause of death from cancer in both men and women, lung cancer can grow silently and reach an advanced stage quickly before causing symptoms begin to show up in the body.
Medical Specialists take all the health risks associated with smoking very seriously. Made up over 60 skilled doctors, surgeons and medical professionals located throughout the Northwest Indiana region, Medical Specialists have made it their mission to not only help you stop smoking via their cessation programs, but to provide the technology and expertise needed to determine if lung cancer may have already taken root in your body via their lung cancer screenings.
“CT scans to diagnose for lung cancer have been around for quite awhile,” explains Dr. Dumont, whose office began offering screening earlier this year. “Yet, the data hasn’t been supportive to use these CT scans as a screening tool for lung cancer, until now. Recent results from the National Lung Screening Trial show that lung CT scans can detect lung cancer at an early stage and reduce your risk of dying from the disease.”
And while Dr. Dumont says that the lung cancer screening does not entirely guaranteed that it will definitely be able to find early stage cancers, it does serve as an excellent option for those people who are at risk. “Our main goal has always been to reduce the lung cancer mortality rates of our patients, which is the goal of any respiratory medicine doctor,” comments Dr. Dumont, who works alongside Linda Gatto, APN, in the offering of the Medical Specialists Smoking Cessation Program. “It is important to emphasize that a negative CT scan does not eliminate the risk of developing lung cancer. I’ve seen patients receive negative results from the lung cancer screening, then run with the misconception that it is OK to continue smoking. This is simply not the case. We want to do everything we can to help them stop the habit completely.”
Wondering if you might make for a candidate for lung cancer screening? Medical Specialists currently offer a low cost Lung CT Screen for patients between the ages of 50 and 64 who have a greater than 30 pack a year smoking history. For more information about just what Medical Specialists can offer you, please call the Medical Specialists Department of Pulmonary Medicine at (219) 922-5416 or visit www.medspecindiana.com.