University Times

UPMC has established a new specialty clinic that will offer early lung cancer screening using low-dose helical CT scanning. That technique was proven in a national trial to reduce deaths because tumors were detected early when treatment is more effective.

The Lung Nodule Clinic is intended to screen current and former heavy smokers, said Christopher Faber, medical director of the UPMC Comprehensive Lung Center. Smoking remains the leading cause of lung cancer, the most common cancer in adults.

“Patients will be evaluated to see if they are candidates for the screening test,” Faber explained. “If they are, they will participate in a one-hour, eight-person, group-educational session led by a nurse coordinator, followed by a low-dose helical CT scan.” The educational session will include smoking cessation information.

A low-dose helical CT scan, also referred to as spiral CT, uses X-rays to obtain a multiple-image scan of the chest during a 7-15-second breath-hold. Results of the CT scan will be sent to the patient and the patient’s primary care physician.

This clinic grew out of the findings of the National Cancer Institute’s national lung screening trial, which compared the effects of two screening procedures for lung cancer — low-dose helical CT scans and standard chest X-ray — on lung cancer mortality. The study found 20 percent fewer lung cancer deaths and a 7 percent reduction in overall mortality among the trial participants who were screened with low-dose helical CT.

The lung screening program currently is not covered by insurance. The $200 fee includes the nurse coordinator-led class, CT scan and valet parking.

For more information, call 1-855/588-6542.