Lung Cancer Screening Would Save Thousands of Lives at a Low Cost
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Hemera/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — Thousands of lives could be saved without breaking the bank if health insurers covered lung cancer screening, a new study found.
When the topic of cancer screenings comes up, most think of breast, colon, cervical or prostate cancer. But lung cancer, despite being the leading cause of cancer deaths each year — according to Medical News Today, is somehow left out. Unlike other cancer tests, the majority of insurance companies do not cover screening for lung cancer.
A low dose CT Scan is now an option for screening high risk patients for lung cancer, and a new study published this month in Health Affairs shows that these screenings are less costly and could save thousands of lives.
Researchers found that lung cancer screenings for men and women between the ages of 50-64 with a history of smoking a pack of cigarettes a day for at least 30 years would cost about as much as a colonoscopy. And both are less than the mammograms and pap smears for detecting breast and cervical cancers.
Researchers said that annual lung cancer screenings would reduce the risk of mortality, saving an estimated 15,000 patients each year, at a relatively low cost.
Therefore, the study suggests insurance companies make coverage of valuable lung cancer screenings available to high risk tobacco smokers under 65.
Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio