In Recognition of Lung Cancer Awareness Month, NYC Health + Hospitals Celebrates Over 10,000 Lung Cancer Screenings in Two Years

In Recognition of Lung Cancer Awareness Month, NYC Health + Hospitals Celebrates Over 10,000 Lung Cancer Screenings in Two Years

Nov 04, 2024

New York, NY - In recognition of Lung Cancer Awareness Month, NYC Health + Hospitals today announced it performed over 10,000 scans for lung cancer since the beginning of the Lung Cancer Screening program in September 2022. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death for both men and women, and more people die each year from lung cancer than breast, prostate and colon cancers combined. Patients are screened for lung cancer with a low-dose computerized tomography (CT) scan, a diagnostic imaging tool that uses x-rays to create an image of the inside body. It has been proven to dramatically increase survival. NYC Health + Hospitals offers lung cancer screening for people who are between the ages of 50 and 80, have a history of heavy smoking, are currently using tobacco or stopped within the past 15 years, and have no signs or symptoms of underlying lung cancer. The lung cancer screening program is now available at 10 NYC Health + Hospitals sites. Patients who meet the criteria and wish to be screened should speak with their primary care provider for a referral.

"It is amazing to see the growth of our lung cancer screening program and the teamwork that is involved from a variety of services," said Ashwin Basavaraj, MD, Chief of Pulmonary Medicine at NYC Health + Hospitals. "We are proud to offer this important screening modality at NYC Health + Hospitals, and will work to continue to address health disparities for our patients with lung cancer."

Patients who screen for lung cancer are paired with a clinical navigator who ensures they receive care specific to their needs, including follow-up appointments and connections to tobacco cessation resources. Patients can access the latest technologies in robotic and navigational bronchoscopy to help biopsy and diagnose lung cancer as well as minimally invasive surgical lung resection for early stage lung cancer. Lung cancer screenings are covered by Medicare, Medicaid, and most commercial insurance plans without any out-of-pocket cost.

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About NYC Health + Hospitals
NYC Health + Hospitals is the largest municipal health care system in the nation serving more than a million New Yorkers annually in more than 70 patient care locations across the city's five boroughs. A robust network of outpatient, neighborhood-based primary and specialty care centers anchors care coordination with the system's trauma centers, nursing homes, post-acute care centers, home care agency, and MetroPlus health plan-all supported by 11 essential hospitals. Its diverse workforce of more than 43,000 employees is uniquely focused on empowering New Yorkers, without exception, to live the healthiest life possible. For more information, visit www.nychealthandhospitals.org and stay connected on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.