November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among both men and women. Recent studies show one-third of Americans have skipped their cancer screenings this year due to COVID-19.
Dr. Glenn VanOtteren, Chief, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine at Spectrum Health joins the Fox 17 Morning Mix to talk about screening, those at-risk, and a little about COVID-19.
People most at risk for lung cancer are:
- Are 55-77 years old who have a “30 pack year” history.
- People who are currently smoking, Or have smoked within the past 15 years.
- People who had quit smoking more than 15 years ago do not currently qualify.
- Patients must be asymptomatic and be willing/able to consider surgery
Early detection is very important and can save lives. Each year, more people die of lung cancer than of colon, breast, and prostate cancers combined.
A screening uses a low dose CT scan, which is an easy, non-invasive test that will look for cancer at its very earliest stages.
For more information about lung cancer and screenings, call (616)-486-5864 or visit spectrumhealth.org/patient-care/cancer/about-my-cancer/lung-cancer.
For more information about COVID visit spectrumhealth.org/covid19.
