8 / 24
By Stacie Jones
Lung cancer
claims more lives
in the U.S., and in Idaho*, than
any other type of cancer—partly
because it often goes undetected
until it is in its advanced stages.
Kootenai Health has launched a
new lung cancer screening program
that can help find the deadly
disease before it’s too late.
“Our goal with the lung cancer
screening program is to identify
lung cancer at an early stage, before
it has spread, and in hopes of
providing patients diagnosed with
lung cancer with a greater survival
and cure rate,” said Todd Hoop-
man, M.D., a pulmonary specialist
with North Idaho Lung, Asthma and
Critical Care. Dr. Hoopman worked
with teams from Kootenai Health to
start the screening program.
The screening is performed with
a low-dose CT scan of the chest.
The CT imaging technology offers
a clearer view of the lung tissue
than a typical chest x-ray, and it
provides the detailed images a
physician needs to examine suspi-
cious or worrisome nodules or other
abnormalities.
W H O S H O U L D B E S C R E E N E D
Dr. Hoopman said that Kootenai
Health, which is designated as an
American College of Radiology Lung
Cancer Screening Center, is the only
facility in the northern Idaho region
equipped to provide comprehensive
lung cancer screening. The program
is a much-needed service.
“Idaho ranks very poorly among
states for the number of smokers,”
Dr. Hoopman said, pointing to a
2015 United Health Foundation
report that ranked Idaho 12th in the
nation for its 15.9 percent of adults
who smoke. “I believe that offering
a screening program such as what
we have available in our community
is necessary due to a higher-than-
the-national-average number of
adult smokers who are at risk for
development of lung cancer.”
The program targets heavy smok-
ers, who are more likely to be at risk
of developing lung cancer. To qualify
for the screening, a patient must
meet the following requirements:
◗
◗
Be between 55 and 77 years of
age
◗
◗
Show no signs or symptoms of
lung cancer
◗
◗
Have at least a “30 pack year”
smoking history (e.g., two packs
per day for 15 years or one pack
per day for 30 years)
◗
◗
Be a current smoker or have quit
smoking within the last 15 years
If you meet these requirements,
discuss screening with your doctor.
S E R V I C E S T H A T C A N H E L P
“The decision to pursue the
low-dose CT screening is usually
made by the patient’s primary care
provider, although any provider may
order the screening CT,” Dr. Hoop-
man said.
Kootenai Health’s lung cancer
screening program involves more
than a CT scan. It is a comprehen-
sive program that is driven by a
multidisciplinary team of radiolo-
gists, pulmonologists, oncologists,
radiation oncologists, thoracic
surgeons and clinical navigators
who can help guide patients and
families through the process. The
program also includes smoking ces-
sation counseling and community
education events.
“Undergoing lung cancer screen-
ing is part of a comprehensive
health plan for at-risk individuals,”
Dr. Hoopman said. “We now have
at our disposal the tools, the tech-
nology and the expertise necessary
to diagnose cancer at an earlier
stage and, in turn, save lives.”
*Idaho Department of Health and Welfare
K O O T E N A I H E A LT H
L A U N C H E S
L U N G C A N C E R
S C R E E N I N G
P R O G R A M
Todd Hoopman, M.D.
A Small
Effort
Can
Save a
Life
8