Low-Dose CT Screening

In November 2010 the National Cancer Institute released results of the National Lung Screening Trial (NLST), a clinical research trial which demonstrated that screening with low-dose CT (computed tomography) scans reduced the risk of death from lung cancer for individuals at high risk of getting the disease. The results of this study did not indicate that low-dose CT scans are recommended for everyone; only those considered to be high risk.

Knowing about your level of lung cancer risk can help you and your doctor make decisions about your healthcare, including whether to get screened for lung cancer.

The Center for Lung Health has developed a lung cancer risk assessment tool that can be used to assess for factors that are known to increase risk of developing lung cancer. This online questionnaire considers factors such as your age, smoking history, exposure to known cancer causing materials, and can be used to identify if a low-dose CT screening is recommended for you.