1 7
*To compute pack years, multiply the number of packs smoked per day by the number of years you were a smoker. For example:
1 pack a day for 30 years = 30 pack years
2 packs a day for 10 years plus 1 pack a day for 6 years = 26 pack years
Be a
quitter
About 85 percent of lung
cancers are caused by
smoking. If you smoke,
the best way to prevent
lung cancer is to stop.
Screening is no substitute
for quitting. Need some
help? Here are three tips
from the experts at Ukiah
Valley Medical Center:
Schedule a quit-smoking
appointment with your
primary care doctor.
You’ll learn about resources
and come up with a
personal plan.
Consider medicines
and nicotine-
replacement aids.
Patches, pills, gum,
lozenges and nasal sprays
are some you might want
to use.
Gather support.
These are good places
to start:
1
2
3
submit the receipt to their insurance.
Medicare and many private insurance plans
do not yet pay for the screening. However,
they may in the future.
Screening: An important step
Right now, lung cancer is the No. 1 cancer
killer worldwide of both men and women.
“Our mission is to change that,” Dr. Hardy
says. People have regular colonoscopies
to look for colon cancer. Women have
regular mammograms to look for breast
cancer. “For some people, lung cancer
screening should be regular too,” Dr.
Hardy says.
To find out if you should be screened, talk with your primary care
doctor. People also can self-refer by calling Ukiah Valley Medical
Center at 707.463.7490.
People who meet the criteria in either of these categories are
considered high-risk and are urged to be screened for lung cancer.
n
55 to 80 years old.
n
Current smoker, or quit within the past 15 years.
n
Have at least a 30-pack-year* history of smoking.
n
50 to 74 years old.
n
Have at least a 20-pack-year* history of smoking.
n
Have one additional lung-cancer risk factor, such as:
•
A family history of lung cancer.
•
A personal history of certain cancers and chronic lung conditions.
•
Exposure to cancer-causing compounds, such as radon,
asbestos or diesel fumes.
Who is eligible?
GROUP 1
GROUP 2
n
Ukiah Valley Medical Center stop-smoking
classes:
or
707.463.7391
.
n
California Smokers Helpline:
800.NO.BUTTS,
.
n
American Cancer Society:
.
n
U.S. government quit-smoking
portal:
.
