Screening for Lung Cancer: What you should know this November

OGDEN, NC (WWAY) –November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month, and according to the American Lung Association, lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in the U.S. Unfortunately, this is something we know all too well, as our own Donna Gregory passed away earlier this week.

To learn more about how to stay on top of your health, we sat down with a specialist at Novant Health New Hanover Primary Care in Ogden.

About 90 percent of lung cancer cases are linked to smoking.

For current smokers—or those who’ve smoked in the last 15 years—screening for lung cancer should begin at age 50.

Screening may also be necessary if you experience a persistent cough that won’t go away, sudden shortness of breath, or if you’re coughing up blood.

Dr. Kara Bird with Novant Health New Hanover Primary Care explains what it means to be considered high-risk.

“High risk meaning that you are between the ages of fifty and eighty, you have a strong smoking history—that’s a twenty year pack history or more—and that you currently smoke or have stopped smoking in the last 15 years.”

We’ll have more on this story, including a sit-down with a lung cancer survivor to hear about their journey, on WWAY News Sunday night.