Lung Cancer Screening Program

Are you a chronic smoker?

Do you worry about lung cancer?

Worry no more!

MidHudson Regional Hospital in Poughkeepsie and Westchester Medical Center now offer valuable early lung cancer screening. The program also helps to reveal if the patient has any heart problems. There are several trained staff members to walk the patients through the entire process.

According to the American Cancer Society, lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in both men and women. Lung cancer can spread to different organs in the body; like liver, brain, bones, and adrenal glands. The biggest challenge with lung cancer is that it’s found very late and it spreads early after it forms. This type of cancer predominantly happens to the elderly; 70% of people diagnosed with it are over 65 years of age. The biggest proved cause for lung cancer is tobacco use. American Cancer Society explained, “Tobacco smoke contains over 4,000 chemical compounds, many of which have been shown to be cancer-causing or carcinogenic.” Passive smoking, which is the exposure to tobacco smoking, can be a huge cause of lung cancer too. There are two main types of cancer, they are the small cell lung cancers and non-small lung cancers. The symptoms take some time before a person starts feeling and noticing them. Some of them are chest pain, wheezing, shortness of breath, coughing up blood, and weight loss or fatigue. Some psychological problems that it might cause include depression and mood changes. Smoking cessation is the vital measure that can help reduce the development of lung cancer.

US Preventive Services Task Force recommends the screening procedure for lung cancer to be done annually for adults aged 55 to 80.

The director of the new lung cancer screening in MidHudson Regional Hospital, Anjani Lewick, said, “The new lung cancer screenings present an opportunity for health care providers to chip away from all the high death rates caused by lung cancer. One person at a time.”

A student from New Paltz, Lauren Alese, discussed her experience with the new lung cancer screening in Poughkeepsie. She said, “my grandmother smokes about 2 packs every week and it worries me. A month ago we went to the MidHudson Hospital and tried the new screening program, and it put my heart at ease knowing we have a service like this nearby.” This program might lead to a decrease in the number of deaths caused by lung cancer, and help save many lives.

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