The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute will offer lung cancer screenings on Nov. 8 from 8 a.m.-noon.
Low-dose CT screenings, a special type of X-ray of the lungs, will be given on the third floor of the Cancer Institute located at 449 Jack Stephens Drive in Little Rock. Free parking will be available in UAMS Parking Deck 3, 4030 W. Capitol Ave., next to the Cancer Institute.
An appointment is required. To schedule a screening, call (501) 526-5777. The screenings take about 15 minutes. Low-dose CT screening is fully covered by Medicare for adults 50 to 77 and by many private health insurance plans.
Screening is recommended for:
-Current smokers or former smokers who have quit within the past 15 years
-Adults ages 50 to 80 years
-Adults with a smoking history of at least 20 pack-years (this means one pack a day for 20 years, two packs a day for 10 years, etc.)
-Adults with a family history of lung cancer, exposure to radon or asbestos, and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
The timing of the event coincides with the fourth annual National Lung Screening Day and Lung Cancer Awareness Month.
Eleven years have passed since the U.S. Preventative Service Task Force first recommended low-dose CT for lung cancer screening to save lives, yet lung cancer screening rates remain low, with fewer than 1 in 10 eligible individuals getting the screening. This is a striking contrast to more established screening tests for other cancers, including screening mammography (80%) and colorectal cancer screening (70%).
For questions, email twillis@uams.edu.