Lung cancer screening
Together, Seattle Cancer Care Alliance (SCCA) and UW Medicine offer screening for people at high risk for lung cancer. The simple and quick scan, called a low-dose computed tomography (CT), is the only recommended screening test for the disease. Survival rates for lung cancer improve dramatically when it's detected early.
Our patients' health and safety is our top priority. Learn more about what we are doing in the midst of COVID-19 in the letter linked below.
Should I get screened?
You may benefit from annual screening if all of these are true:
- You are between 55 and 80 years old.
- You currently smoke, or you quit in the last 15 years.
- You smoked an average of at least 1 pack a day for 30 years or 2 packs a day for 15 years.
These lung cancer screening guidelines come from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF).
Additional screening criteria
Individuals who are 50 or older and have smoked 1 pack a day for 20 years or more should consider screening if they have one of the following risk factors:
- You have documented high radon exposure.
- You have had occupational exposure to silica, cadmium, asbestos, arsenic, beryllium, chromium, nickel or diesel fumes.
- You are a survivor of lung cancer, lymphoma or head and neck cancer.
- You have a history of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or pulmonary fibrosis.
- You have a family history of lung cancer.
The second group of high-risk patients is meant to be of similar risk for lung cancer as those studied in the National Lung Screening Trial. But it is not completely known how much this group will benefit from CT screening since there are no data from a randomized trial.
Secondhand smoke exposure is NOT an independent risk factor for lung cancer CT screening.
Screening resources
- Calculate your lung cancer risk with a quick online survey. Go Here For Survey
- Listen to an interview with SCCA physicians on lung cancer screening. Listen Here
Request an appointment
If you think you qualify for screening, please contact your primary care doctor to obtain an order for the exam. Orders can be faxed to (206) 606-6729.
CT Lung Cancer Screening Order Form (PDF)
Once an order has been placed and you are ready to schedule or if you have any questions about our Lung Cancer Screening Program, please call us at (206) 606-1434.
We offer six convenient locations throughout Puget Sound:
- SCCA South Lake Union
- UW Medical Center
- UW Roosevelt Campus
- UWMC-Northwest
- Harborview Medical Center
- UW Eastside Specialty Center
To promote Indigenous health, SCCA established the həliʔil Program to reach out to tribal nations and Indigenous groups in our region to promote lung cancer screening.
What does screening involve?
The scan is fast, simple, painless and you can stay fully clothed. A low-dose CT scan is a special kind of X-ray that takes multiple pictures as you lie on a table that slides in and out of the machine. A computer then combines these images into a detailed picture of your lungs.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Our program was one of the first in the nation to be named a Screening Center of Excellence by the Lung Cancer Alliance. We are also accredited by the American College of Radiology.
If your screening shows that you need further care, the doctors in our Lung Cancer Early Detection and Prevention Clinic and our lung cancer program are ready to help guide you through next steps.
