SACRAMENTO, Calif., Oct. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer-related death in the United States each year. Still, the recent death of longtime TV news anchor Peter Jennings shocked millions of Americans, and it also created renewed interest in the early detection of lung cancer.
Dr. Raye Bellinger of Sacramento HeartScan said the current standard of care in the United States for lung cancer is to wait until symptoms occur, the same scenario that Peter Jennings faced.
“Waiting for outward symptoms of lung cancer is a losing strategy. It’s practically a death sentence, because survival rates for lung cancer detected after stage 1 are dismal,” said Bellinger. “However, with recent advances in CT scanning technology, there is renewed hope for early detection.”
The non-invasive, computed tomography (CT) lung scan available at Sacramento HeartScan gives physicians a detailed image of the lungs that is capable of detecting abnormalities too small to be seen with the standard chest x-ray. Bellinger said it gives high-risk and non-symptomatic patients a fighting chance in the battle against lung cancer.
“Once symptoms from lung cancer such as weight loss or chronic cough begin to appear, the battle is probably already over; the five-year survival rate for patients diagnosed with lung cancer is only 15 percent,” said Bellinger. “However, when pre-symptomatic lung cancer is detected with the CT lung scan, the five-year survival rate improves to nearly 70 percent.”
Early lung cancer detection programs with conventional chest X-ray have failed to decrease lung cancer mortality because the test doesn’t find cancers when they are small enough or at an early enough stage to improve survival. The Early Lung Cancer Action Project (ELCAP), however, demonstrated that low-dose, high-resolution CT-based screening clearly enhanced the detection of small lung cancers at earlier and more curable stages.
CT scans at Sacramento HeartScan, including lung, heart and brain, are performed using the GE Lightspeed Ultra CT scanner. Unlike more conventional four-slice scanners, the GE Lightspeed Ultra captures clear images of the heart between beats and also provides clear, more precise pictures of other organs and tissue.
For more information about Sacrament HeartScan or the CT lung scan, call 916-830-2009.
About Sacramento HeartScan
Sacramento HeartScan is part of the Sacramento Heart Center, the area’s premier integrated cardiac facility, providing complete cardiology and wellness care plus a full range of diagnostic and laboratory services. Sacramento HeartScan is one of a limited number of cardiovascular centers in the United States using the GE Lightspeed Ultra for detection of disease. The new-generation 16-slice CT scanner can uncover early stages of disorders such as: heart disease, lung disease, and cancer. Sacramento Heart & Vascular Medical Associates, developers of the Sacramento Heart Center, is affiliated with most health care systems in Sacramento. For more information or to make an appointment, visit www.sacheart.com/ct/heartscan.html or call 916-830-2009.
Sacramento HeartScan
CONTACT: Dan Snyders of Armada Medical Marketing, +1-303-623-1190 ext.230, dan@armadamedical.com, for Sacramento HeartScan
