Lung Cancer Screening in Grand Rapids: Who Needs It and Why

Lung Cancer Screening in Grand Rapids, Michigan

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the United States, and for many people in Grand Rapids and Kent County it can quietly grow for years before causing any problems. The hard truth is that most people with lung cancer do not have symptoms until the cancer is advanced. That is exactly why screening matters: a simple, low-dose scan can find lung cancer early in people at high risk, before they ever feel sick. Local systems like Corewell Health, Trinity Health Grand Rapids, and University of Michigan Health-West offer this care close to home.

What Is Lung Cancer Screening?

Screening means testing for a disease before you have any symptoms. The goal is to catch lung cancer early, when it is more treatable, and to lower the chance of dying from it among people at high risk.

The CDC recommends only low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) as the screening test for lung cancer. An LDCT is a quick scan that takes detailed pictures of your lungs using a small amount of radiation. Chest X-rays and other tests are not recommended for lung cancer screening.

It helps to remember what screening can and cannot do. Even with screening, the best way to lower your risk remains quitting smoking or never starting in the first place.

Who Should Be Screened?

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends yearly lung cancer screening for adults who meet all three of these criteria:

• Have a 20 pack-year or more smoking history
• Currently smoke, or quit within the past 15 years
• Are 50 to 80 years old

A pack-year is a way to measure how much someone has smoked over time. One pack-year means smoking one pack of cigarettes a day for one year. For example, smoking two packs a day for 10 years equals 20 pack-years. Smoking one pack a day for 20 years also equals 20 pack-years.

If you are not sure how your history adds up, your primary care provider in Grand Rapids can help you do the math and decide whether screening is right for you.

When Screening Usually Stops

Screening is not meant to continue forever. It is generally stopped once a person:

• Turns 81 years old
• Has not smoked for 15 or more years
• Develops a health problem that would make lung surgery unsafe

These cutoffs exist because screening is most helpful for people who are both at high risk and healthy enough to be treated if cancer is found.

Understanding the Risks of Screening

Screening saves lives, but it is not perfect, and it does carry some possible harms. Before you are screened, it is important to talk with your doctor about your personal risk. Possible downsides include:

• False-positive results – the scan flags something that turns out not to be cancer, which can lead to unnecessary follow-up tests and worry
• Overdiagnosis – finding a cancer that may never have caused problems
• Radiation exposure – LDCT uses a low dose, but it is still radiation

A good conversation with your provider weighs these risks against the real benefit: finding lung cancer early in people who are most likely to have it.

What Raises Your Risk for Lung Cancer

Knowing your risk factors can help you and your doctor make a screening decision.

• Cigarette smoking is the number one risk factor. It is linked to about 80% of lung cancer deaths in the U.S. People who smoke are 15 to 30 times more likely to get or die from lung cancer than people who do not smoke.
• Other risk factors include secondhand smoke, radon gas, air pollution, asbestos and other workplace exposures, prior radiation therapy to the chest, and a family history of lung cancer.

It is also worth knowing that lung cancer is not only a smoker’s disease. About 10% to 20% of lung cancers occur in people who never smoked, or who smoked fewer than 100 cigarettes in their lifetime.

Radon: A Local Concern for West Michigan Homes

Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that you cannot see or smell. It can build up indoors and is an important cause of lung cancer. Because Grand Rapids winters are long and cold, homes here stay sealed up for months, which can let radon collect inside.

The CDC recommends testing your home for radon and reducing the levels if they are high. Test kits are inexpensive and easy to use. The Kent County Health Department is a good place to start for local information on radon testing.

How to Lower Your Risk

The most important way to prevent lung cancer is to not start smoking, or to quit if you do smoke. Avoiding secondhand smoke also lowers your risk.

Quitting is hard, and most people need more than one try. You do not have to do it alone:

• Talk with your primary care provider about medications and counseling
• Ask about quit-smoking programs through Corewell Health, Trinity Health Grand Rapids, or University of Michigan Health-West
• Cherry Health offers care for many residents, including those who are uninsured or underinsured
• The Kent County Health Department can point you toward local prevention resources

Quitting at any age and at any stage of life lowers your risk over time, even if you have smoked for many years.

Talk With Your Doctor

If you are between 50 and 80, currently smoke or quit within the past 15 years, and have a 20 pack-year history, ask your provider whether yearly LDCT screening is right for you. Bring your questions about the benefits and the possible harms, and be honest about your smoking history so you get the best advice.

Lung cancer screening will not replace quitting, but for the right person it can find cancer early, when there are more options and a better chance of a good outcome.