Lung Cancer Screening

If you qualify for screening, you will be offered a low dose computed tomography (LDCT).

• It uses a small amount of radiation
• You lie on an open table
• The table moves through a large, round machine
• The test only takes a few minutes
• It does not hurt and there are no needles or medicine

The scan looks for small spots in the lungs, called nodules. Most nodules are not cancer, but more tests may be needed. Most people are screened once a year, although some people may need a scan sooner.

• More than a chest X-ray
• Much less than a regular CT scan
• About the same as the natural radiation we are exposed to over one year

You do not qualify for lung cancer screening if you:

• Already have lung cancer
• Are coughing up blood for no clear reason
• Lost more than 5 kilograms (11 pounds) in the past year without trying
• Have a serious illness that may shorten your life

Your risk can change over time. If you do not qualify, you should check again in 3 years.

Check again sooner if you:

• Start smoking again
• Are told you have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
• Find out a family member has lung cancer.

Marijuana use alone does not qualify someone for screening. Screening is only offered if there is also a significant history of cigarette smoking.

Research shows screening lowers lung-cancer deaths in people:

• Ages 55–80
• With a long history (at least 20 years) of cigarette smoking

Screening is not offered based on:

• Cigars, pipes, chewing tobacco, or e-cigarettes alone
• Marijuana use alone
• Second-hand smoke or environmental exposures alone
• Ceremonial tobacco use alone

Criteria may change as new research becomes available.

No. Quitting is not required to take part in screening.
However, support to quit smoking is offered to anyone who currently smokes.

Quitting smoking is one of the best things you can do for your health. It lowers your risk of cancer and other diseases.

Quitting can be hard, but help makes it easier.

You can get free help here:

• Health811
• Smokers’ Helpline
• Stop on the Net
• Talk Tobacco (for First Nation, Inuit, Metis and Urban Indigenous communities)
• WRHN Airways Clinic (Referral Required)

You are not alone. Help is available.

Benefits

Helps protect your health

Finding cancer early may:

• Lower the chance of dying from lung cancer
• Make treatment work better

Potential Harms

• The test may find something that is not cancer
• Uses a small amount of radiation.
• More tests may be needed, such a lung biopsy. Risks of a lung biopsy can include bleeding, infection or collapsed lung.

To find a family doctor or nurse practitioner who is accepting new patients, please visit: ontario.ca/healthcareconnect

Screening is only done at participating hospitals. WRHN is providing screening for residents of the Waterloo-Wellington Region. Patients must attend all appointments at the screening site. People outside of Waterloo-Wellington region need to access screening through their primary care provider in their own region.