Central Peninsula Hospital | Pulse | Fall 2020

Lung cancer is the second most common cancer, aside from skin cancer, in both men and women in the U.S. It’s also the No. 1 cause of cancer death in this country. Fortunately, there is a screening test that may find lung cancer early, when it’s usually easier to treat. And the test is painless and noninvasive. A low-dose CT scan can help find abnormalities in the lungs that may be cancer. Studies have shown that using low-dose CT scans to screen people for lung cancer saves more lives than using chest x-rays. That’s because a CT scan produces detailed, cross-sectional images of the lung that can find small abnormalities better than a chest x-ray. Who should be screened? The American Cancer Society recommends yearly lung cancer screening tests for people who meet the following criteria: ● Are current smokers or smokers who have quit in the past 15 years. ● Have at least a 30-pack-year smoking history. For example, if you smoked a pack a day for 30 years, you have a 30-pack-year history. If you smoked two packs a day for 15 years, you also have a 30-pack-year history. ● Receive counseling to quit if they are current smokers. ● Have been told by their doctor about the potential benefits, limits and harms of screening. ● Have a facility where they can go that has experience in lung cancer screening and treatment. If all of the above apply to you, you may want to talk with your doctor about screening for lung cancer. Are there risks to screening? CT scans are so detailed that they can find a lot of abnormalities. These may need to be checked out further with additional testing. Low-dose CT scans also expose people to small amounts of radiation. It’s less than the dose of a regular CT scan, but higher than that of a chest x-ray. Your doctor can tell you whether the risks of CT screening outweigh the benefits for you. Talk to your provider to see if a lung cancer screening makes sense for you, or call Central Peninsula Imaging at 907-714-4581 . Should you be screened for ung cancer? Do what’s fun. Make time for something you enjoy. It will help ease that self-care stress. Ask the pros. If monitor- ing your diabetes gets to be too much for you, let your health care team know. If you ask, they will help. Living Well With Diabetes Our diabetes education program provides diabetes self-management education that is consistent, comprehensive and easy to understand. The program meets national standards established by the American Diabetes Association for diabetes self- management education. Our team of educators works together with participants and their health care providers. We offer both individual appointments with a registered dietitian or nurse/certified diabetes educator. These sessions may include information about the diabetes disease process and treatment options, healthy eating, exercise, medications, blood glucose monitoring, risk reduction, goal setting to promote health, problem- solving for daily living, and management of diabetes during pregnancy if needed. For more information, please feel free to contact the Diabetes Education Center at Central Peninsula Hospital at 907-714-4726 or by email at rclare@cpgh.org . PULSE Fall 2020 5