The University of Mississippi Medical Center issued the following press release.
Registration is now open for the UMMC Cancer Center and Research Institute’s free lung cancer screening event on Saturday, Nov. 11 for qualifying uninsured and underinsured participants. Registration will close Nov. 3.
Screenings will be scheduled from 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. at the CCRI located in the Jackson Medical Mall. The event seeks to offer patients an easy and painless screening that can spot lung cancer before symptoms begin.
The screening is recommended for the following: individuals ages 50 to 77; cigarette smokers or former cigarette smokers who have quit within the past 15 years; and individuals with a smoking history of at least 20 pack years*. (Packs of cigarettes smoked per day x number of years smoked. For example, 1 pack a day for 20 years, or 2 packs a day for 10 years.)
Members of the thoracic oncology team will be onsite to discuss findings or questions regarding follow-up care.
Appointments for the screening event are required. Call 601-984-LUNG (5864) and choose option 1 to determine eligibility and to schedule an appointment.
4 comments:
I grew up listening to talk radio so I have many memories of PSA’s about deadly Radon causing lung cancer. Is Radon a thing in Mississippi? I know the ads usually mentioned basements which are rare here. But it’s also my understanding that we have very little rare minerals in Mississippi. Does that eliminate Radon gas as a lung cancer thread for us?
Rankin is a yellow zone, and most of Mississippi isn't, so that's another reason why Rankin is so special!
https://radonresources.com/directory/ms/
The EPA recommends mitigation if levels are > 4 picocuries/liter (pCi/L). MS is < 2 pCi/L.
https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2018-12/documents/radon-zones-map.pdf
One hopes that they offer shared medical decision making in the process of reviewing a patient who may qualify for the benefit.
What is shared medical decision making? It fully informed the patient that there are possibly severe harms associated with the screening. If a nodule is found, they may tell you that a biopsy is indicated. That biopsy can result in a collapsed lung or other complications and the nodule has a good chance of being benign. (In other words, you didn't need the biopsy).
Sadly, there is no overall mortality benefit for the folks who will get screened with this modality. That is, 100 people who choose to have the screening (and 100 who don't) live the same overall lifespan. (There will be fewer who die of lying cancer in the screened group but the overall mortality (age) will be the same.
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