Lung Cancer Screenings

While the most common symptoms of lung cancer include chest pain, weight loss and a persistent cough, most people don’t experience any symptoms until the disease has reached advanced stages. When lung cancer is diagnosed at an early stage and treated, the survival rate increases to more than 70 percent. According to the American Cancer Society, lung cancer (both small and non-small cell) is the second most common cancer in both men and women (not counting skin cancer).

In an effort to achieve early diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer, Monmouth Medical Center, Southern Campus is offering free lung cancer screenings for high-risk individuals. The program utilizes low-dose, non-invasive CT scans to screen qualified high-risk individuals and detect lung cancers before they can be seen on X-rays.

Individuals may be eligible for the screening if they meet the following criteria:

• Current or former smokers between the ages of 50-80 years of age with a history of 20 pack years or more. (A pack year is the number of packs smoked per day multiplied by the number of years. Example would be: 1 pack/day for 20 years equals 20 pack years.)

• Current smokers or individuals who have quit smoking less than 15 years ago.

• Individuals without lung cancer symptoms.

• A prescription for a low-dose chest CT for lung cancer screening is necessary prior to the screening

For more information or to make an appointment, call the Lung Cancer Screening and Lung Nodule Program at 732.923.7966.