Despite being top cancer killer, few eligible Californians undergo CT screening for lung cancer
In California, only 1% of eligible people had the test done last year.
LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Using CT scans to screen for lung cancer has been around for about 10 years, but experts say it's underused.
In fact, a recent CDC study showed only 1 in 8 people for whom it's recommended actually got screened. Up to 20% of lung cancers occur in Americans who do not smoke.
"The vast majority of lung cancer is found in patients with a significant cigarette smoking history," said Dr. Scott Brandman, a thoracic radiologist at RadNet who adds that the key to survival is to do CT lung cancer screening before you have symptoms.
"We can find the disease in its earliest stage," he said.
Studies show those who get annual screenings are more likely to have successful treatment. Brandman said 80% of them will live and "well 20 years after their diagnosis."
People with a smoking history should be screened between the ages of 50 and 80. In California, only 1% of eligible people had the test done last year.
"California is the last in the nation for participation in lung cancer screening," Brandman said.
For those who are eligible, insurance will cover the screenings.
RadNet is has partnered with Aidence and Google Health to develop artificial intelligence technology to determine a patient's risk, even before a nodule can be seen through imaging.
"This AI helps us understand that this patient is at very high risk for developing lung cancer, and needs to be followed more closely." he said.
For people like Marissa Moezzi, a mother of four who avoided cigarettes but was still diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer, she hopes someday, screenings like this will be available for everyone.
"When you're not screened early, it tends to be caught when you're at a later stage disease," Moezzi said.
She had a specific genetic mutation that responded well to a targeted therapy.
"I am going about my life totally normally and I'm coming up on eight years," she said.
Moezzi encourages others to be proactive and talk to their doctors about CT lung cancer screening.
