When a persistent cough just wouldn’t go away, Pocono resident Ron Pasquale turned to experts at Dale and Frances Hughes Cancer Center at Lehigh Valley Hospital–Pocono for his care.
When it’s hard to breathe, it’s hard to enjoy your life. Since 2006, we have been helping people from across the region take a stand against lung cancer with special tests called screenings.
Lung cancer screenings help us identify abnormal growths in your lungs (lung nodules). But we don’t stop there. We offer the complete range of services for people at risk for lung cancer, including support to help you quit smoking, and the latest lung cancer treatments.
Nationally recognized lung cancer screening excellence
Lehigh Valley Topper Cancer Institute has earned recognition from the American College of Radiology® as an accredited Lung Cancer Screening Center. This designation means we hold ourselves to the highest standards, which include:
- Performing screenings with the latest imaging technologies, such as low-dose computed tomography (CT) scans
- Using trusted imaging techniques (protocols) that lead to accurate results
- Offering the expertise of experienced lung cancer experts when necessary
Are you at risk? Benefits of lung cancer screening at Lehigh Valley Topper Cancer Institute
We use low-dose CT scans because they have been proven to be more effective than standard X-rays. This test provides detailed images of your lungs, including potential lung nodules, while minimizing your radiation exposure. Additional highlights of our program include:
- Prevention: We provide helpful services to lower your lung cancer risk, including personalized support to help you quit smoking.
- Team approach: If screening results show signs of cancer, you are in caring hands. You have access to a team of doctors who specialize in the latest treatments, including lung cancer procedures. Our team includes experienced surgeons and interventional pulmonologists. We work together alongside other cancer specialists to deliver the services you need. Find out more about our multidisciplinary cancer clinics.
- Convenience: Many insurance plans cover lung cancer screenings as long as you receive a provider referral. We make it easy to get tested by offering screenings in LVHN locations throughout the region.
More information about lung cancer screenings
Lung cancer screenings are recommended for people age 50 to 80 who:
(up to age 80 with most private insurances and up to age 77 with Medicare and Medicaid)
- Smoke cigarettes
- Have a 20 pack-year smoking history
- Currently smoke or quit smoking within the past 15 years
- Were exposed to hazardous materials, such as radon or asbestos
- Have a family history of abnormal growths (lung nodules) or lung cancer
- Live with certain lung conditions such as pulmonary fibrosis or chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD)
You should speak to your insurance provider to make sure you are covered for the screening.
Schedule Your Screening
Call 610-402-1234 to request an appointment today with our dedicated lung health nurse to schedule your lung cancer screening.
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Pack year calculator
A pack-year is used to describe how many cigarettes you have smoked in your lifetime, with a pack equal to 20 cigarettes. If you have smoked a pack a day for the last 20 years, or two packs a day for the last 10 years, you have 20 pack-years. In other words, pack-years is a way to measure smoking exposure, taking into account how long you have smoked, and how much you have smoked. Currently, having 20 pack-years or more is one of the criteria that needs to be met to be recommended for screening.