St. Charles Cancer Center, Central Oregon Radiology Associates and Cascade Medical Imaging are taking a proactive approach to combating lung cancer in Central Oregon by launching a new screening program designed to help detect the disease in its early stages and save lives.
Starting September 15, people between the ages of 55 and 74 years old who are current smokers or who have quit within the last 15 years can begin receiving free annual screenings. A person’s primary care provider will then review the results with them and determine a follow-up plan.
The free screenings are made possible by Central Oregon Radiology Associates and Cascade Medical Imaging—which are providing low-dose CT scans at a reduced rate—and in partnership with St. Charles Foundation, which provided $10,000 in seed funding for this life-saving program.
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the United States, and if diagnosed early, is much easier to treat. In 2011, the results of the National Institutes of Health’s National Lung Screening Trial were published. The trial demonstrated that high-risk patients who received yearly screenings with a low-dose CT scan had a 20 percent lower chance of dying from lung cancer than those screened with a chest x-ray.
“The verdict is this is the right thing to do for patients who are considered high risk,” said Dr. Jamie Conklin, a St. Charles pulmonologist. “The benefits are very clear in terms of saving lives. Lung cancer is most curable in its earliest stages. Unfortunately, we see many patients with more advanced disease.”
Low-dose CT scans—which are about three times more detailed than chest x-rays—are one of the most effective cancer screenings, saving one life for every 320 people screened (in comparison, mammography saves one life for every 1,500 people screened.) Though the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends annual screening for lung cancer for people who are between 55 and 80 years old and considered high risk, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and most commercial insurers don’t pay for the scan.
“We don’t want to wait until screenings are covered because we don’t know when that’s going to be,” said Dr. Linyee Chang, medical director of the St. Charles Cancer Center. “Now that we have the right resources in place, our community needs this.”
For more information about how to schedule a free lung cancer screening, contact your primary care provider or St. Charles’ Cancer Screening Coordinator Jessica Keegan at 541-410-7533 or jmkeegan@stcharleshealthcare.org.
About St. Charles Health System
St. Charles Health System, Inc., headquartered in Bend, Ore., owns and operates St. Charles Bend, Madras and Redmond, and leases and operates Pioneer Memorial Hospital. It also owns family care clinics in Bend, Madras, Prineville, Redmond and Sisters. St. Charles is a private, not-for-profit Oregon corporation and is the largest employer in Central Oregon with more than 3,400 caregivers. In addition, there are more than 350 active medical staff members and nearly 200 visiting medical staff members who partner with the health system to provide a wide range of care and service to our communities.
