Doctors recommend catching up on lung cancer screenings after COVID-19

EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (WEAU) - The COVID-19 pandemic delayed many preventative health screenings, including CT scans to detect lung cancer.

In the U.S., lung cancer is the leading cause of both men and women. Catching the disease at an early stage can mean the difference between life and death.

Dr. Steven Krah at the Marshfield Clinic in Ladysmith says low-dose CT scans are especially important for current or former smokers, and for those with a family history of lung cancer. Krah says now is the time to make those important appointments and catch up on your care.

“We’ve had some long-term studies that came out less than ten years ago that showed that some lives are certainly being saved by screening for lung cancer,” said Dr. Krah. “It’s unfortunately a very common cancer that’s unfortunately very difficult to treat and quite deadly. But, caught early it’s very treatable and could be highly beneficial for patients.”

At Marshfield Clinic in Ladysmith, patients can get lung cancer screenings right in their own backyard. Health experts say having this type of technology and service provided for rural communities increases the number of scans given, and ultimately the number of lives saved.

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