By Sam Bennison

To Your Health

BC Cancer lung screenings saves lives

Dec 12, 2023 | 2:02 PM

PRINCE GEORGE—BC Cancer has launched a new cancer screening program that allows to detect tumours earlier saving countless lives in the process and it only takes 10 minutes

The screening process utilizes a low dose CT scan that takes thousands of pictures inside your body allowing the doctor to take a look at sections of your lung and spot early cancer tumours.

“It’s aimed at patients between the ages of 55 and 74 who have a significant smoking history. And by that we mean have smoked for more than 20 years, either in the past or are still currently smoking, “notes Dr. Shyr Chui, Radiology Lead at the Northern Lung Screening Program. “Patients who would like to join the lung screening program can contact their family practitioner or if they don’t have a family practitioner, they can actually contact the Lung Screening Prevention and Screening Program directly. They’ll be asked a series of questions to see whether they’re eligible for the program and if they are, then a referral will be sent.”

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There has been research into the effects of second hand smoke but currently the screening program isn’t available to those individuals.

Dr. Chui also notes that the program is painless and that there are no needles and that you don’t even get into the machine as it moves the bed for you. He urges everyone who fits the criteria to get screened as soon as possible

“Lung cancer is one of the biggest cancer killers and we have an opportunity with lung screening to catch it at a much earlier stage before it spreads to the rest of the body,” declares Dr. Chui. “By catching it earlier, it means that we can actually maybe provide a cure for that patient and treat it much more easily.”

You can sign up for Lung screenings through the link here. There are participating clinics across the North, so sign up today.