“Smokers and their loved ones know the risk that accompanies tobacco use. What they don’t know is whether lung cancer has already begun,” explains pulmonologist Patrick Meyers, MD. “Now we have the imaging technology to identify lung cancer at its earliest, most treatable stages.”
Dr. Meyers is Methodist Estabrook Cancer Center’s lead investigator for the International Early Lung Cancer Action Program, or I-ELCAP, an international research study that is helping to advance knowledge and improve survival rates. Methodist is one of 50 I-ELCAP screening sites worldwide and the only site in a 15-state region.
The study includes an initial risk factor analysis. Those who qualify undergo annual low-dose “Lung Look” CT scans of the chest, which are reviewed by specialists from Methodist Estabrook Cancer Center.
I-ELCAP participants must be over 40 and have one or more of these risk factors for lung cancer:
• Smoker or former smoker.
• Family history of lung cancer.
• Significant exposure to secondhand smoke.
For more information, call Deb Meyers, I-ELCAP study coordinator, at (402) 354-5882.
This program is supported by Methodist Hospital Foundation.
