In recognition of Lung Cancer Awareness Month, NYC Health + Hospitals on Nov 1st announced its Lung Cancer Screening program will be available at 10 hospitals by the end of this year, with a capacity to serve 5,000 patients a year. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death for both men and women, and more people die each year from lung cancer than breast, prostate and colon cancers combined. Patients are screened for lung cancer with a low-dose computerized tomography (CT) scan, a diagnostic imaging tool that uses x-rays to create an image of the inside body. It has been proven to dramatically increase survival. NYC Health + Hospitals offers lung cancer screening for people who are between the ages of 50 and 80, have a history of heavy smoking, are currently using tobacco or stopped within the past 15 years, and have no signs or symptoms of underlying lung cancer. In fiscal year 2023, the health system screened over 3,000 patients for lung cancer. Those who meet the criteria and wish to be screened should speak with their primary care provider for a referral.
“It is a known fact that lung cancer screening saves lives, though an important screening tool, a low dose CT scan to detect early stage lung cancer, has traditionally been under-utilized,” said Ashwin Basavaraj, MD, Chief of Pulmonary Medicine at NYC Health + Hospitals. “We are happy to now offer our eligible patients at NYC Health + Hospitals enhanced access to our lung cancer screening program for the chance at early detection, intervention, and treatment options that can potentially be life-saving.”
Patients who screen for lung cancer are paired with a nurse practitioner navigator who ensures they receive care specific to their needs, including follow-up appointments and connections to tobacco cessation resources. Patients can access the latest technologies in robotic and navigational bronchoscopy to help biopsy and diagnose lung cancer as well as minimally invasive surgical lung resection for early stage lung cancer. Lung cancer screenings are covered by Medicare, Medicaid, and most commercial insurance plans without any out-of-pocket cost.
