Prevention and early detection offer the best hope against all cancers. But not all cancers can be prevented and some, such as lung cancer, rarely present symptoms in the early stages of the disease. Lung cancer is most often found either after the disease has progressed enough to produce symptoms (i.e., coughing up blood) or incidentally, after an X-ray or CT scan of the chest or abdomen is taken for another reason.

Routine lung cancer screenings are not recommended for patients without symptoms and remain controversial even for high-risk groups such as smokers. Many researchers believe that chest X-rays and CT scans expose people to unnecessary radiation and biopsies.

“Typically most lung tumors are benign, but we can save the patient from unnecessary surgery and potentially risky testing with PET/ CT scanning,” says Mark S. Silidker, MD, medical director of the Doylestown Hospital PET/CT Center. “With this one test, we can determine the size and location of the tumor, as well as the extent of its growth.”

Combined PET/CT scanning merges two advanced imaging technologies into a single test. It is not only more convenient for the patient, but it also provides a more accurate look inside the body than PET or CT alone.

“PET/CT scanning facilitates early detection by locating potential cancer sites,” Dr. Silidker explains. “This information helps us to plan a biopsy, stage the disease (determine if and how far the cancer has spread) and decide whether or not surgery is feasible.”

Surgery offers the best chance of survival for lung cancer but it is not always an option, due perhaps to the location of a tumor or abnormal cell growth elsewhere in the body. The results of the PET/CT scan also help us to plan radiation therapy and chemotherapy. These treatments are used to help shrink the tumor, kill cancerous cells and prevent recurrence.

Prevention, of course, is the best answer and that starts with smoking cessation.