Doctors with Med Center Health discuss importance of lung cancer screening

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – As cases of lung cancer continue to rise in Kentucky, doctors say getting tested is key to surviving the disease.

In a state that mines coal and where radon may be lurking in basements, tobacco is still the major culprit in causing the cancer.

Eighty five percent of cases are related to smoking. If you are a smoker or even a former, long-term smoker, an annual CT scan can detect the cancer in its earliest stages.

Technology has improved both detection and treatment of the disease.

Dr. Muhammad Ahmed with Western Kentucky Heart & Lung/Med Center Health says, “On the treatment front, yes, there are a lot of new treatments options available now, and they have been proving some more survival benefits. But again, the key is the early diagnosis for the treatment.”

Dr. Irfan Waheed with Western Kentucky Heart & Lung/Med Center Health also commented, saying, “So that’s more people get screened, more people get detected early, more people get cured from it. We will improve survival, and we can have the people/patient not to suffer, to die from it.”

Kentucky has the highest lung cancer rates in the United States.

Screening proves the best way to fight the disease. Smokers and former smokers should get tested before they display any symptoms.