Lung Cancer Screening
Speak to your primary care physician to see if you fit the criteria for the lung cancer screening test.
A physician order is required prior to scheduling an appointment. Your doctor’s office will make the appointment for you.
Insurance does not cover the cost of this test.
Before coming for your procedure, pre-register by calling 508-422-2222.
Medical Center, 1st floor
Free parking is available in the Visitors Lot located on Route 140. Additional parking can be found behind the Medical Center and is reached by following signs for the Hill Health Center. Complimentary valet parking is also available from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and is accessed at the entrance to the Hill Health Center in the back of the Medical Center.
There are over 200,000 new cases of lung cancer each year. The National Cancer Institute recently conducted a study called the 
National Lung Cancer Screening Trial which followed 53,450 patients age 55 to 74 years who had smoked at least a pack a day for 30 years (and ex-smokers who had stopped for less than 15 years). The study showed that screening smokers and ex-smokers with a chest CT scan increases their survival rate for lung cancer by 20%. You may read more about this study by following the links at the bottom of the page.
Recognizing the effectiveness of this screening tool, along with proper follow-up, Milford Regional now offers CT screening tests for lung cancer.
What is a screening test?
Screening tests are important medical tests that can help protect against certain diseases. Some screening tests find diseases early, when they are most treatable, while others can actually play a role in stopping diseases before they start. Whether or not you should have the CT screening test for lung cancer will depend on your smoking history, along with your age, medical history and family history.
What is a CT scan?
A CT or CAT scan is an imaging exam that uses X-rays guided by a computer to take cross-sectional images (often called slices) of the body. A CT scan shows detailed images of any part of the body, including the bones, muscles, fat, organs, and blood vessels. CT scans are more detailed than standard X-rays. In computed tomography, the X-ray beam moves in a circle around the body. This allows many different views of the same organ or structure and much greater detail in the images. The X-ray information is sent to a computer that interprets the X-ray and shows its 2-dimensional form on a screen. Newer CT and computer software makes three dimensional (3-D) images possible.
How long will the procedure take?
The screening chest CT takes 15 minutes to complete, including prep time.
Are there any safety concerns?
You’re briefly exposed to radiation during a CT scan. Radiation exposure can increase your risk of developing cancer, but doctors and other scientists believe that these CT scans give enough needed information to outweigh the risks. You will be exposed to less than 1/4 of the radiation of a standard CT scan of the chest.
Who is eligible for the screening scan?
Patients with a smoking history of 30 or more years are eligible for the scan and should talk to their doctor about whether one should be scheduled.
How do I access the screening CT scan?
Patients can access the lung screening CT scan ONLY with an order from their doctor.
What about follow-up care?
The results of the scan and the radiologist’s report will be returned to you and your doctor so that you can discuss options for follow-up care together.