Lung Cancer Screening CT Program

Every two minutes, lung cancer is diagnosed in the U.S. It is the leading cause of cancer deaths in men and women. The American Cancer Society estimates that nearly 5 million people are eligible for lung cancer screening each year, but less than 5% of all those eligible get screened.  

The National Jewish Health Lung Cancer Screening Program in Denver, Colorado, provides lung cancer screening by low-dose CT scan for thousands of patients. Our program is recognized as one of the premier lung cancer screening programs in the nation. Our technology and expertise help us detect early-stage lung cancer significantly more often than the national average. Our goal is to identify suspicious spots on the lungs (lung nodules) in high-risk individuals before lung cancer symptoms appear, when it is  easier to treat and is often curable.

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Lung Cancer Screening Program Highlights

• Lung cancer risk quiz helps you learn if you are eligible
• Centralized program coordinates everything for you
• Evaluation to determine if you are in a high-risk category and can benefit from screening
• Review insurance coverage
• Shared decision-making visit explains the benefits and risks of screening 
• CT scan with the latest technology that provides the highest level of detail
• Personal review of screening results
• Lung Nodule Registry Program for monitoring and follow-up
• Lung Nodule Clinic 
• Smoking cessation counseling if appropriate

Personalized Medicine and Care

Our Lung Cancer Screening CT Program includes some of the nation’s top radiologists. They partner with pulmonologists, advanced practice providers and your primary physician to focus on you and your health. A shared decision-making visit before your screening is tailored for your needs. It explains how screening works and why it is important for your health. During that visit you learn what happens during and after screening, and how to reduce your risk of developing lung cancer. We will call you with your personal results and talk through what you need to do next.

If you have a spot on your lung (a nodule), we will watch this nodule closely and determine if it needs further attention.  If the spot on your lung is suspicious for lung cancer, we will arrange for you to be evaluated by our Lung Cancer Program team to determine the next steps. Our team will help guide you through any follow-up care needed

Nationally Recognized Expertise

National Jewish Health is recognized nationally for its expertise in lung cancer screening and lung cancer care. 

• Our physicians hold national leadership positions on the American College of Radiology, the National Lung Cancer Round Table, the GO2 for Lung Cancer Global Advisory Council
• Certified by the State of Colorado as a Healing Arts Screening Program
• Our team was on the National Lung Cancer Screening Trial Executive Committee that determined low-dose screening CT scans reduced risk of lung cancer death by 15% -20% compared to chest X-rays. 
• Premier screening site for the National Lung Cancer Screening Day initiative 
• NFL Crucial Catch grant recipient – provides additional personalized health information to help improve patient engagement and adherence to annual lung cancer screening.

 

Benefit from the Latest Research

Our physician-scientists and researchers have long been leaders in lung cancer research that improves patient lives. This research includes: 

• Developing diagnostic tests 
• Creating studies to better address the lung cancer patients’ quality-of-life concerns
• Contributing to national guidelines for lung cancer screening CT  

Clinical Trials & Research Studies

National Jewish Health offers many clinical trials and research studies for lung cancer. Our research coordinators can help determine which studies may be right for you.