Do you need lung cancer screening if you quit
smoking?
Be proactive – get screened!
Find out if a low-dose CT lung
cancer screening is right for you.
Visit martinhealth.org/LDCT or
call 844.811.LUNG (5864).
CANCER
According to the American Cancer Society,
smoking contributes to eighty and ninety percent
of lung cancer deaths in women and men,
respectively.
But what if you quit smoking? Quitting has some
health benefits that start right away and others that
can lead to improved health over many years.
The risk of having lung cancer or other smoking
related illnesses decreases
after you stop smoking and continues to decrease
the longer you go without smoking, though your risk
will never be as low as that of someone who never
smoked.
So, if you’ve successfully kicked the habit and
are now a former smoker, do you still need to think
about having a lung cancer screening?
Pulmonologists Corbin Hodder, DO, and Michael
Marsh, MD, who see patients at the Cleveland Clinic
Martin Health Family Health Center in Stuart, offer
advice on this topic:
• Talk to your doctor if you’re concerned about
your risk for lung cancer. Lung cancer screening
is recommended for those meeting all the
criteria for high risk including:
n Smoking the equivalent of 20 or more
pack-years (e.g., one pack a day for 20
years; two packs a day for 10 years)
n Being 50 to 80 years old
n Smoking for any portion of the past 15 years
• Lung cancer screening is not recommended
if your risk of lung cancer is low, because the
harms of screening may outweigh its benefits.
• Screening is worthwhile only if you are healthy
enough to tolerate the evaluation and treatment of
any lung nodules or lung cancers that are found.
If your doctor recommends screening, look for a
program where experts take the time to discuss its
risks and benefits with you, and are experienced in
lung cancer evaluation and treatment.
Meanwhile, tell your doctor right away if you have
any of these worrisome symptoms, because you may
need testing to confirm or rule out the presence of
lung cancer:
• A new, persistent cough, or coughing up blood
• Unexplained shortness of breath or chest pain
• Unintentional weight loss
TALK WITH AN EXPERT.
To make an appointment with Drs. Hodder or Marsh or another
Cleveland Clinic Martin Health pulmonologist, call 772.223.4978
or visit martinhealth.org/pulmonology.
Corbin Hodder, DO Michael Marsh, MD
/pulmomology
/LDCT
/pulmonology