BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — The Comprehensive Blood & Cancer Center are offering residents in the community free LDCT scans in honor of Lung Cancer Awareness Month.Health care professionals say its never to early to get checked.
- Free scans available for the month of November.
- 1 out of every 17 men are diagnosed with Lung Cancer while 1 out of every 16 woman are diagnosed.
- Vapes, cigarettes, and tobacco are the main cause of lung cancer.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
In honor of Lung cancer awareness month the Comprehensive Blood and Cancer Center is offering free scans during November. I'm Eric J. Dockery your Bakersfield neighborhood reporter. Healthcare professionals suggest it's never too early to get checked, it could possibly save you in the long run.
The American Cancer Society states most cases of lung cancer are found in adults 65 and older. A small percentage of cases are found in adults 45 and younger. The average age of people when diagnosed is about 70.
Tori Jacobs, Marketing & Physician relations manager CBCC said "When detected early cancer of all kinds is more treatable, especially with lung cancer. Usually, lung cancer symptoms don't arise until it's up to stage four or even worse. Its good to come in regardless of symptoms and get a screening if you are an active or former smoker."
Adults who smoke an average of one pack per day for 20 years or two packs a day for 10 years are at a higher risk than most individuals. Healthcare professionals tell me even if you smoke occasionally, it is still smart to get checked on to prevent further challenges in your health.
"These tests are non-evasive. We do not need to inject a dye, we use very little radiation exposure. We look at the lung very carefully, if we see a spot then we know we need to proceed with testing further." said Dr. Ravi Patal the Medical Director at CBCC.
Smoking is the major cause of lung cancer in individuals Dr. Patal even says that ever since vaping has started more teens have started the smoking trend earlier compared to older adults.
Dr. Patal said "You may feel good that you're vaping for a few hours, but afterwards as the process goes it goes to seriously damaging the lung. As you go on breathing issues, coughing issues, a variety of infractions which can debilitate a young life."
Doctor Patal tells me this process is very quick, you receive the scan and within hours they can get the information back and reach out to you with any updates to see if you need to proceed to additional testing.
Health experts say one out of every 17 men will develop lung cancer in their lifetime as opposed to 1 out of every 16 women. The comprehensive blood and cancer center offers these check ups year round. For 23 ABC I'm Eric J. Dockery your Bakersfield neighborhood reporter.
Stay in Touch with Us Anytime, Anywhere:
