Detroit Cancer Screening Initiative

About Detroit Cancer Screening Initiative and this site

Detroit Cancer Screening Initiative is an organization formed to promote screening for cancer in Southeastern Michigan. This site is designed to encourage people to work with their primary care physicians to follow current guidelines regarding screening. This site is intended to serve as an information clearinghouse to direct patients to appropriate sites, and not a definitive source of medical information

Lung Cancer and screening

Lung cancer is the most common cause of death from cancer in the United States. It is usually caused by smoking, although some nonsmokers may get lung cancer. If caught early, many lung cancers may be cured. Screening heavy smokers for lung cancer results in early detection and an increased chance of cure. For this reason, we promote lung cancer screening in people who meet published criteria

Should everyone be screened for lung cancer?

Screening has risks. Screening is usually worth the risk in populations of patients who have a high risk of lung cancer. Risks include false positive results, risks from biopsies and other procedures used to address lung cancer, radiation exposure, and the anxiety associated with results. For these reasons, screening is best ordered by a primary care physician who will address these issues beforehand and guide the patient regarding the meaning of results.

Who should be screened? How can I get a screening CT scan?

If a person has smoked more than 20 pack years of cigarettes and is more than 50 years old, they meet criteria to consider screening. Like all aspects of care, this is something that is ideally coordinated by the person’s primary care provider.

How to get a lung cancer screening CT scan

Go to your primary care provider and tell them

- how many packs of cigarettes per day you smoked

- how many years you smoked

- how old you are

- that you would like them to consider a noncontrast low dose lung cancer screening CT if you smoked more than 20 pack years and are 50 or more years old. If they feel you meet criteria they can write a prescription for you to have this done at one of the centers listed on this site

- that you would like to discuss the results of the CT once it is done

Where to get lung cancer screening

Contact one of the sites below. Have your prescription for a lung cancer screening CT ready. The prescription is ideally prepared by your primary care physician. Follow up with your primary care physician after the CT for results and recommendations.

The Detroit Medical Center

Sinai Grace Hospital

Call 313-966-4800

Harper Hospital

888-362-2500

Huron Valley Sinai Hospital

248-937-3440

Henry Ford Health Systems

https://www.henryford.com/services/lung-cancer/screening

Trinity Health

833-247-1253

Ascension health systems