Lung Cancer Screening

This no-cost screening is for you if you are:

• Age 50-77
• Show no current signs of lung-related illness or disease
• Smoked at least one pack per day for 20 years
• Currently smoking or have quit within the past 15 years

Rooks County Health Center offers a new screening for early detection of lung cancer. For some this life-saving screening can be performed at no cost to the patient as RCH is one of the only hospitals in northwest Kansas that is certified to perform the screening. The screening is painless, takes approximately 15 minutes and involves having a low dose CT Scan. The exam is recommended yearly for those with high-risk factors.

Speak with your primary care provider to request a lung cancer screening if you are a current smoker or if you have quit within the last 15 years with a smoking history of at least one pack a day for 20 years. The screening is available for those age 50 to 77 with no current signs or symptoms of lung cancer.

*For those who are Medicare Part B recipients, the screening is provided at no cost. Some commercial health insurance companies may also cover the cost of the screening if you qualify. RCH provides a courtesy pre-certification service with regard to medical procedures such as a CT Scan to ensure your insurance will cover the procedure. Please call 785-688-4424 to request pre-certification assistance if you have commercial health insurance. For those whose insurance may not cover the screening, it is still available for a nominal out-of-pocket expense.

The Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation calculates that lung cancer kills more people in the U.S. than the other three leading cancers combined (breast cancer, prostate cancer and colorectal cancer), approximately 160,000 people a year. According to the American Lung Association, active smoking is responsible for almost 90% of diagnosed lung cancers with 84% of those going undetected. Once cancer has spread beyond the lungs, the survival rate is only 4%. With early detection, over 26,000 lung cancer deaths could be prevented each year.