Lung Cancer
Lung cancer: the leading cause of cancer death.
Lung cancer accounts for almost 25% of cancer deaths. And although it begins in the lungs, it can spread to other parts of the body. In many cases, lung cancer has no symptoms until it’s in the later stages, when it’s more harmful and difficult to treat.
Thankfully, there’s now a screening to help detect it early on, when it’s most treatable. Called a low-dose CT scan, this screening can reduce the risk of fatality by 20%.
Screening
When you should be screened.
Smoking is the #1 risk factor for lung cancer, though not all lung cancers are caused by smoking. Currently, lung cancer screenings are recommended only for smokers or former smokers who fit certain criteria.
Men and women 50-80 who:
- Smoke or have smoked a pack a day for 20 or more years, or 2 packs a day for 10 or more years
- Currently smoke or quit smoking within the past 15 years
Screening should be discontinued once a person:
- Has not smoked for 15 years
- Develops a health problem that substantially limits life expectancy or the ability or willingness to have curative lung surgery
Men and women 50-80 who qualify
Screening or Vaccine
Low-dose CT scan
How Often
Talk to your health care provider to determine if a lung cancer screening is recommended
Per Screening for Life guidelines dated July 2021.
Updated in April 2021
Who Qualifies
- Smoke or have smoked a pack a day for 20 or more years, or 2 packs a day for 10 or more years
- Currently smoke or quit smoking within the past 15 years
When Screening Stops
- Has not smoked for 15 years
- Develops a health problem that substantially limits life expectancy or the ability or willingness to have curative lung surgery
Eligibility tool
Find out if you should get a lung cancer screening.
A lung cancer screening is a low-dose CT scan. This type of lung screening can find lung cancer at its early stages, when it is most treatable. Learn if you are eligible.
- 50 to 80 years of age
- Current smoker or a smoker who quit within the last 15 years
- Calculated pack years of 20 or higher*
*Your pack years can be calculated by multiplying the number of cigarettes you smoked per day by the number of years you smoked.
Updated in April 2021
Are you 50 to 80 years of age?
Access screening support.
Need help paying for it?
Screening for Life is a program that can help pay for a screening if you can’t.
Learn More
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Look to this day for it is life. For yesterday is already a dream and tomorrow is only a vision. But today well lived makes every yesterday a dream of happiness, and every tomorrow a vision of hope.
Prevention
How to reduce your lung cancer risk
- Stop using tobacco products
- Avoid exposure to secondhand smoke
- Avoid exposure to asbestos, paint, mustard gas, and other chemicals
- Avoid exposure to radon gas and air pollution
- Tell your health care provider if you have a family history of lung cancer
- Tell your health care provider if you have a personal history of tuberculosis
Smoking is the leading risk factor for lung cancer. Cigarette smoking is linked to about 90% of lung cancer deaths.
Get help to quit tobacco
Delaware offers two ways to talk with specially trained counselors about quitting smoking, vaping, or using other tobacco products.
Need more help? Learn about Delaware quit support programs.
Causes
What causes lung cancer?
These factors can increase your risk:
Use of tobacco products
Exposure to secondhand smoke
Exposure to asbestos, paint, or other chemicals
Exposure to radon gas and/or air pollution
A family history of lung cancer
Heavy alcohol use
A diet low in fruits and vegetables and high in cholesterol
Treatment & Support
Treatment looks different for everyone.
Find personalized support, understand your options, and connect with care teams.
If you’ve been diagnosed with cancer, Cancer Care Coordinators can help you find the services you need, when you need them. The services of these specially trained health professionals are free of charge to all Delawareans.
Learn MoreFree cancer treatment is available for up to two years to all Delaware residents who can’t afford to pay for it.
Learn MoreLearn how cancer stages are determined and what each stage means for diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment.
Learn MoreExplore clinical trial options that may offer access to cutting-edge therapies and treatments.
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Nurse Navigators
Delaware nurse navigators can help you get screened for cancer.
Whether you have insurance or not, Delaware nurse navigators can help you get screened for cancer and provide follow-up help when you get your results. Choose from the list below to call a nurse navigator directly between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., or request a callback online.
or call directly between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.
Surviving Cancer
Tips for life after diagnosis.
We offer a variety of tools, programs, and resources to support healthy living after diagnosis.
Eating Well
Find nutrition guidance on the road to recovery.
Learn MoreExercising
Discover how an active routine can give you the best chance of recovery.
Learn MoreSelf-Management Program
Build skills to manage your health day to day.
Learn MoreSupport Groups
Talk with others about your cancer to guide choices and find support.
Learn More