You should be screened for lung cancer if you meet ALL these conditions:

• Are between 50 and 80 years old
• Have a 20 pack-year smoking history, which is calculated by multiplying the number of packs of cigarettes smoked a day by the number of years you have smoked
• Currently smoke or quit within the past 15 years

If you have a family history of lung cancer or may have been exposed to cancer-causing elements, such as asbestos or radon gas, you should talk with your doctor about whether you need regular screenings.

To schedule your low-dose CT scan/lung cancer screening, click here.

Anything that can increase your chances getting a disease is called a risk factor. Having a risk factor does not mean that you definitely will get lung cancer. However, there are some risk factors you can change, which may reduce your likelihood of developing lung cancer. These include:

• Tobacco smoke. About 80 percent of lung cancer deaths are linked to smoking, and this number is probably even higher for small cell lung cancer. The risk of lung cancer for people who smoke is many times higher than for nonsmokers. The longer you smoke and the more packs a day you smoke, the greater your risk. Cigar smoking and pipe smoking are almost as likely to cause lung cancer as cigarette smoking.
• Smoking with other behaviors. If you smoke, you may be at an even higher risk for lung cancer if you take vitamin E supplements in doses above the recommended daily allowance, take beta carotene supplements, take hormone replacement therapy medicines (estrogen plus progestin), use alcohol heavily or vape.
• Secondhand smoke. Breathing in the smoke from others can increase your risk of developing lung cancer.
• Exposure to radon. Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that is produced when uranium in soil and rocks breaks down. You can’t see, taste or smell it. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), radon is the second-leading cause of lung cancer in this country, and it is the leading cause among people who don't smoke. Radon is most dangerous indoors, where it’s more concentrated.
• Exposure to asbestos. People who work with asbestos, such as in mines, mills, textile plants, places where insulation is used and shipyards, are several times more likely to die of lung cancer. Lung cancer risk is much greater in workers exposed to asbestos who also smoke. People exposed to large amounts of asbestos also have a greater risk of developing mesothelioma, a type of cancer that starts in the pleura (the lining surrounding the lungs).
• Exposure to other cancer-causing agents in the workplace. Radioactive ores, such as uranium; inhaled chemicals, such as arsenic, beryllium, cadmium, silica, vinyl chloride, nickel compounds, chromium compounds, coal products, mustard gas and chloromethyl ethers; and diesel exhaust raise your risk of lung cancer.
• Taking certain dietary supplements. People who smoke should avoid taking beta carotene supplements.

There are some risk factors you can’t change. If you have any of these factors, you should talk with your primary care physician about whether you need regular screening:

• Previous radiation therapy to the lungs. If you have had radiation therapy to the chest for other cancers, you are at higher risk for lung cancer, especially if you smoke. For example, people who have been treated for Hodgkin lymphoma or women who get chest radiation after a mastectomy for breast cancer have a higher risk of lung cancer. Women who have radiation therapy to the breast after a lumpectomy do not appear to have a higher-than-expected risk of lung cancer.
• Personal or family history of lung cancer. If you have had lung cancer, you have a higher risk of developing lung cancer again. If one of your parents or a sibling had lung cancer, you may have a slightly higher risk, especially if the relative was diagnosed at a younger age. It’s not clear how much of this risk might be due to shared genes among family members and how much might be from shared household exposures, such as tobacco smoke or radon.
• Air pollution. In cities, outdoor air pollution appears to raise the risk of lung cancer slightly. This risk is far less than the risk caused by smoking.