Mon General Earns ACR Lung Cancer Screening Center Designation

            Mon General Hospital is the only hospital in the region designated a Lung Cancer Screening Center by the American College of Radiology (ACR).

            This ACR designation means that Mon General’s Lung Cancer Screening program is committed to practicing safe, effective diagnostic care for individuals at the highest risk for lung cancer.

            In order to receive this elite distinction, facilities must be accredited by the ACR in computed tomography in the chest module, as well as undergo a rigorous assessment of its lung cancer screening protocol and infrastructure. Also required are procedures in place for follow-up patient care, such as counseling and smoking cessation programs. The ACR Lung Cancer Screening Center designation is a voluntary program.

            Lung cancer screening with low-dose computed tomography (CT) scans, and appropriate follow-up care, significantly reduces lung cancer deaths. In December 2013, the United States Preventive Services Task Force recommended screening of adults aged 55 to 80 years who have a 30 pack-year smoking history and currently smoke or have quit within the past 15 years. Lung cancer is the nation’s leading cancer killer – taking the lives of more people each year than breast, colon and prostate cancers combined.

            The Zelda Stein Weiss Cancer Center of Mon General Hospital offers a low-cost screening program to help patients who are at risk for lung cancer.The screening program uses a low-dose CT scan of the patient’s lungs to screen for cancer. With early detection, 85 percent of lung cancers can be found in their earliest, most curable stages.

            For those who meet eligibility requirements for the screening, the initial cost of the program is $95. This includes the low-dose CT scan, a one-on-one follow-up with the program’s Nurse Navigator and a smoking cessation program.

            Smokers and past smokers are encouraged to talk to their doctor about the low-dose CT scan or call Mon General’s Lung Cancer Screening Program Nurse Navigator at (304) 285-3500. Your physician or the nurse navigator can analyze your smoking history to determine if your risk is high enough to participate in the screening.

            The ACR, founded in 1924, is one of the largest and most influential medical associations in the United States. The ACR devotes its resources to making imaging and radiation therapy safe, effective and accessible to those who need it. Its 36,000 members include radiologists, radiation oncologists, medical physicists, interventional radiologists and nuclear medicine physicians.

            For more information about the Lung Cancer Screening Center designation, visit MonHealth.com/LungCancer.