New Rules Mean Those at Lung Cancer Risk May Receive Annual Screening

Lung cancer, like many other forms of this often devastating disease, is generally easier for medical professionals to tackle when it is caught as early as possible. Early detection, however, has sometimes been hampered by a lack of access to more advanced screening procedures to find this disease in earlier stages. All of that is beginning to change.

Courtesy of studies that have demonstrated higher survival rates for patients whose cancer is found early, Medicare has announced that it will cover low-dose computed tomography (CT) screenings on an annual basis for some at-risk patients. While the rules may vary somewhat based on the specific insurance a person has, the door for better screening has been opened.

Understanding the ins and outs of the new rules is important not only for medical professionals, but also patients who may find themselves asked to report for yearly exams. Under the new rules, those at highest risk for lung cancer development will be provided access to CT screening exams.

Medicare defines higher risk patients as those who are current or former smokers age 55 to 77, and sometimes up to age 80. People eligible for yearly exams must have smoked what amounts to about a pack a day for 30 years or more. For those former smokers, they need to have quit within the previous 15 years to be considered eligible. It’s also important to note that eligible screening candidates should have no current respiratory symptoms.

The reason for the change in the rules is simple: CT scans can lead to more effective early interventions. The National Lung Screening Trial found that CT scans can reduce the mortality rate of heavy smokers by 20 percent by leading to faster, more effective interventions. The increase in effectiveness is compared to standard X-ray exams.

People who are at high risk for lung cancer are urged to talk with their medical professionals about reducing their risks. Depending on age and length of habit, more aggressive early screening options may be available.

Radiation Therapies Have Improved by Leaps and Bounds

Radiation therapy for cancer treatment has long been proven to be beneficial. This type of treatment, however, presented some potential pitfalls in its application. While high-energy radiation is known to damage DNA so completely that cancer cells die, the cells around a tumor can also be harmed in the process.

Practitioners say advancements in this technology have combined to make radiation treatments safer today than they’ve ever been before. New technologies in the treatment of different types of cancer have enabled doctors to better pinpoint these therapies to eradicate cancer while sparing as many other cells as possible. Here are just a few of the advancements that have been made to make radiation treatment safer:

• Better positioning for breast cancer patients – A simple change of patient positioning during radiation treatments has proven incredibly beneficial for producing safer results. Rather than have a patient lie on the back, doctors are finding a facedown position pulls radiation away from the heart and lungs while reducing the amount of tissue irradiated in the right breast by 86 percent and 91 percent in the left.

• Prostate cancer spacer gel – This new technique enables a spacing gel to be placed between the prostate and the rectum that effectively moves the rectum out of the way during treatment. This can spare the rectum from taking collateral damage.

• Better insights – Image-guided radiation therapy has enabled doctors to better see a tumor before and during treatment. This, in turn, improves precision and accuracy of treatments.

• Reduced treatment requirements – Some forms of cancer, such as lung, liver and spine, are now requiring fewer treatments courtesy of stereotactic body radiation therapy. This can limit collateral exposure while still proving effective in treatment.

• Better access – Technological advances, such as proton-beam therapy, have enabled doctors to target hard-to-reach tumors better with lower doses of radiation.

Radiation therapy has come a long way in recent years. Thanks to advances, doctors are often able to spare nearby cells while still ensuring effective tumor shrinkage.