First thing’s first: what are your “pack years?” Pack years are a way of calculating lung cancer risk based on how many years a person has smoked. Here’s how the equation works:

N – number of packs a day (equivalent: 20 cigarettes) x T (total years smoked) = pack years

For example:

Edith smoked 1 pack of cigarettes daily for 20 years.

Exciting news: you no longer need a doctor’s prescription for a Lung Scan. This scan can be an easy, painless, and noninvasive way to potentially save your life if you are at a high risk for lung cancer. In fact, according to the National Cancer Institute, “People aged 55 to 74 years with a history of heavy smoking are 20 percent less likely to die from lung cancer if they are screened with a low dose lung scan.”

What is Lung Scan?

Lung cancer is the second most common form of cancer. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention predict that by the end of this year more than 200,000 people will be told they have lung cancer, and about 150,000 will die from lung cancer. Approximately 85% of lung cancer cases in the United States are the result of smoking,

If your loved one is a smoker or has a history of smoking, a lung scan could save their life.

As a relative or close friend, we have the unique ability to influence the critical decision-making of our loved ones. Here are three ways you can encourage them to get a lung scan.

The amount you smoke over time has a cumulative effect on your risk for cancer. It puts you at a higher risk for certain types of cancer, including common lung cancers. One way to determine your risk is by calculating your pack-years.

Simply put, a pack-year is a measurement of the number of cigarettes you consume over a period of time.

A lung scan can save the life of a smoker by detecting issues earlier than other screening methods.  If you or someone you know has smoked for a long time, encourage them to talk with their doctor about a Lung Scan, also called a Low Dose CT lung scan. This quick, painless scan can detect cancer much sooner than traditional x-rays. 

If you’re a smoker, your family is understandably concerned about your health. Lung cancer is a scary prospect, and they worry about you. They’d rather you didn’t smoke. You’d rather you didn’t smoke, too.  Kudos to you for your efforts to quit – please don’t give up! If you have quit in the last 15 years or are still smoking,