Let’s Clear the Air About Lung Cancer Screening

Every cigarette shaves 11 minutes off your lifespan. When you quit smoking, you give yourself more time to do the things you enjoy with the people you love. The minute you stop smoking is the minute you lower your risk for lung cancer — the leading cause of cancer deaths in adults.

A Timeline to Healthier Lungs

When you stop smoking, your lungs start to heal — right away. The American Cancer Society  offers hopeful reasons to quit.

• Twenty minutes after you quit, your heart rate and blood pressure start to drop.
• A few days later, the carbon monoxide in your blood drops to normal.
• Two to three weeks after quitting, your circulation is better and lung function starts to improve.
• One to 12 months in, coughing and shortness of breath ease. Your lungs continue to repair themselves.
• One to two years smoke free, your risk of heart attack drops dramatically.
• Five to 10 years afterward, your risk for stroke is lower — along with the risk for mouth and throat cancer.
• Ten years after quitting, your risk of lung cancer is about 50% less than of a person who's still smoking 10 to 15 years later.

While quitting is one of the most important things you can do to lower your risk of lung cancer, there are other important steps you can take. Research shows lung cancer screening can make a big difference in heavy cigarette smokers and former cigarette smokers.

LDCT Screening

Lung cancer is stealthy. Often, there aren’t any symptoms until it has spread. After you quit, your risk for lung cancer stays elevated for 15 years. That’s why it’s important for smokers to quit as soon as possible.

For heavy, long-term current and former smokers, one screening is proving to be an important tool in the fight against lung cancer. Studies show that low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) scans are effective in detecting lung cancer early when it can be more successfully managed.

Non-invasive LDCT scans look for tell-tale lesions on the lungs. If a lesion is found, more invasive testing is used to see if it is lung cancer. Researchers reveal LDCT lowers the risk of dying in heavy smokers.

Who Should Get an LDCT?

The American Lung Association  says the LDCT is most effective in people who meet these criteria:

• Are 50-80 years old
• Smoke cigarettes now
• Smoked a pack a day for 20 years
• Smoked two packs a day for 10 years
• Quit smoking within the last 15 years

Sometimes an LCDT scan detects a lesion that additional testing finds is not cancer. To minimize this risk, LDCT screening is limited to those at high risk. 

Don’t Skip Screening

Be proactive. Take these steps to protect your lungs and fight lung cancer.

Be honest about your smoking history. If you smoke now, smoked a pack a day for 20 years, or two packs a day for 10 years, get screened.

Get screened even if you’ve stopped smoking. You’re still at risk if you smoked one or two packs a day in the last 15 years.

Ask for the right kind of screening. Talk with your doctor about LDCT screening. Your doctor can advise you about your risk and whether it’s right for you. A doctor must refer you for an LDCT lung scan.

Keep it up. Experts advise smokers and former smokers between the ages of 50 and 80 to be tested each year. Screening should continue until 15 years have passed since the last cigarette — or until age of 80.

Do you smoke and want to quit? Take advantage of Quitting Tobacco — a free program on the Well onTarget^® portal. You’ll find interactive lessons, tips and tools to help you kick start your quit and stay strong. Designed to help you understand the complex factors that swirl around nicotine use, you’ll learn how to make positive lifestyle changes that put smoking in the rear-view mirror. Sign up on wellontarget.com  to take the first step.

Sources: Health Benefits of Quitting Over Time,  American Cancer Society, 2020; Screening for Lung Cancer,  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2024; Lung Cancer Screening,  National Cancer Institute, 2024; The American Cancer Society, 2024; Is Lung Cancer Screening Right for Me?  American Lung Association