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Politics & Government

L.B. Memorial's Early Lung Cancer Detection Program Aims to Save More Lives

Lung cancer is the deadliest kind in the U.S. but earlier detection offers an individual better survival odds, study finds.

An Early Lung Cancer Detection Program employing a low-dose computed topography scanner is being introduced to high-risk patients at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center in response to critical need.

In conjunction with the Todd Cancer Institute, the new program follows a National Lung Cancer Screening Trial’s findings that the use of CT scanning can reduce the mortality rate of cancer patients by up to 20 percent.

This is due to the fact that CT scans are more effective at early detection of tumors than traditional chest radiography, which is a key component in preventing lung cancer deaths, as reported by Everything Long Beach.

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Of all cancers, lung cancer is the number one killer of Americans, killing more people than the next three common cancers combined. The National Lung Association predicts that more than a quarter of all U.S. cancer deaths in 2012 will be due to lung cancer.

That's more than 160,000 deaths this year alone.

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Not covered by insurance, CT scans cost $295 and are available by physician referral only, according to a report by Everything Long Beach. To schedule an appointment, patients can call the Imaging Center at (562) 661-1001. However, there are requirements to qualify for the program (read more here…) 

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