Lung cancer is the deadliest cancer among veterans and one of the most common, with almost 8,000 veterans diagnosed and treated for lung cancer annually at the VA. But when caught early, lung cancer is treatable. To best prevent complications and improve your lung health, here’s what you should keep in mind.
Screening 101
A cancer screening is when a doctor tests for cancer in a person before they have any symptoms. If you and your provider decide lung cancer screening is right for you, you will undergo a low-dose computed tomography (also called a low-dose CT scan, or LDCT) available at your local VA. A low-dose CT scan requires lying on a table where an X-ray machine takes detailed images of your lungs using minimal radiation. The scan only takes a few minutes, and doctors use the images to look for signs of lung cancer, like the nodules on Dorsey’s lungs. If results are normal, returning every year for a screening scan is still important.
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends yearly lung cancer screening with LDCT for people who:
- Have a 20 pack-year or more smoking history, and
- Smoke now or have quit within the past 15 years, and
- Are between 50 and 80 years old.
A pack-year is smoking an average of one pack of cigarettes per day for one year. For example, a person could have a 20 pack-year history by smoking one pack a day for 20 years or two packs a day for 10 years.
Due to the high amounts of radiation used to screen for lung cancer, this process is only recommended for adults at increased risk for developing the disease due to their history and age. Veterans are encouraged to discuss screening with their care team to determine whether lung cancer screening is appropriate. Positive treatment outcomes often come from being screened early and regularly.
Types of Treatment
Lung cancer is treated in several ways, depending on the type of lung cancer and how far it has spread. People with non-small cell lung cancer can be treated with surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, targeted therapy or a combination of these treatments. People with small cell lung cancer are usually treated with radiation therapy and chemotherapy.
- Surgery: An operation where doctors cut out cancer tissue.
- Chemotherapy: Using special medicines to shrink or kill the cancer. The drugs can be pills you take, medications given in your veins, or sometimes both.
- Radiation therapy: Using high-energy rays (similar to X-rays) to kill the cancer.
- Targeted therapy: Using drugs to block the growth and spread of cancer cells. The drugs can be pills you take or medicines given in your veins. You will get tests to see if targeted therapy is suitable for your cancer type before this treatment is used.
Doctors from different specialties often work together to treat lung cancer. Pulmonologists are doctors who are experts in diseases of the lungs. Surgeons are doctors who perform operations. Thoracic surgeons specialize in chest, heart and lung surgery. Medical oncologists are doctors who treat cancer with medicines. Radiation oncologists are doctors who treat cancers with radiation.
Depending on your health care team’s recommendations, you may also be eligible to participate in clinical trials, alternative medicines and complementary medicines that might assist your treatment plan.
How Can I Decrease My Risk?
There are three main ways to decrease your risk for lung cancer.
- Don’t Smoke: Cigarette smoking causes about 80% to 90% of lung cancer deaths in the U.S. The most important thing you can do to prevent lung cancer is not to start smoking or to quit if you smoke.
- Clean Air Space: Make sure your home is a smoke-free zone, even from secondhand smoke. Prohibit smoking from happening in your car, home and workspace if possible. You may also want to get your home tested for radon, molds or anything else that may be harmful to breathe in.
- Check the Air Quality: Before going outside for extended periods, especially for exercise, visit airnow.gov to check the day’s air quality. Try to only go outdoors on good air quality days to support your lung health.
Support for Veterans
Tobacco cessation support is provided to current smokers as part of lung screening to help them quit. Veterans may be able to receive counseling and medicines that support their tobacco cessation goals.
Resources available to support quitting smoking include:
- Call the VA National Quitline at 1-855-QUIT-VET (1-855-784-8838) to be connected immediately with a tobacco cessation counselor and receive free telephone counseling in English or Spanish.
- Sign up for SmokefreeVET to receive text message tips and support on your cellphone, even if you use smokeless tobacco. Text the word VET to 47848 (or VETesp to 47848 for Spanish) or visit smokefree.gov/VET.
- Use the Stay Quit Coach.
- Visit the Quit Tobacco and Veterans Smoke-Free websites.
All VA providers stand shoulder to shoulder with veterans and support them on every step of their cancer journey. For more information on VA and cancer screening, visit va.gov.
Sources: The Department of Veterans Affairs, CDC, American Lung Association
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