If you or someone you know is a smoker or a previous smoker, completing a low-dose CT screening could save your life.
In recognition of November as Lung Cancer Awareness Month, the OSF Moeller Cancer Center (2200 Central Avenue, Alton) will be conducting a low-dose CT lung cancer screening event on Tuesday, November 18, 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Low-dose CT lung cancer screenings are covered by most insurance programs. Event attendees can also register for a door prize raffle and light refreshments will be available.
Interested individuals wanting to have a low-dose CT lung cancer screening test must meet the following criteria:
- 50 to 80 years of age
- Must currently smoke or quit within the last 15 years
- Smoked about one pack a day for 20 years or more
More information about this event can be obtained by calling Dana Matesa, RN, nurse coordinator, low-dose CT clinic, OSF Moeller Cancer Center, at (618) 433-7607.
The statistics surrounding the incidence rate of lung cancer – nationally, state-wide, and locally – can literally take your breath away.
According to the National Cancer Institute (NCI):
- The United States lung cancer rates are 53.1/100,000 people
- The Illinois state average is 58.3/100,000 people
When looking at statistics on a more local level, four (4) counties in and around the Riverbend region can be found in the top 40 within the state:
- Green County ranks 13th highest out of 102 counties at 89.3/100,000 people
- Macoupin Ranks 18th highest at 86.6 cases/100,000 people
- Jersey County ranks 35th highest at 77.3/100,000 people
- Madison County ranks 39th highest at 76.8/100,000 people
“These statistics alone indicate that residents of these four counties are located in areas with a significantly higher rate of lung cancer compared to the United States and state of Illinois averages,” says Angela Halliday, Director of Oncology Services, OSF Moeller Cancer Center.
Knowing that early detection increases the survivability rate for diagnosed lung cancer patients, OSF Moeller Cancer Center in April introduced the only provider-led low-dose CT lung cancer screening clinic in and around the immediate Riverbend region. “While our low-dose CT clinic is the only one of its kind locally, it’s also one of a small number of provider-led low-dose CT clinics available in the country,” says Halliday.
Another unique aspect of OSF Moeller Cancer Center’s low-dose CT screening clinic is that it accepts self-referrals – meaning that patients don’t need a specific referral order from their primary care provider to have a lung cancer screening conducted.
OSF Moeller Cancer Center’s low-dose CT lung cancer screening clinic is led by Brandy Baxley, MSN, APRN, FNP-BC, and Dana Matesa, RN.
Ms. Baxley, serving in an advanced practitioner nurse role, has been an oncology services Mission Partner at OSF Moeller Cancer Center for the past six (6) years and possesses 10 years of nursing experience.
Ms. Matesa possesses eight (8) total years of oncology services nursing experience – the last five (5) at OSF Moeller Cancer Center – to her role as cancer care coordinator.
“What patients can expect is that their lung screening results will be reviewed by Dana and Brandy – who both have specialized training in the screening and diagnosis of cancer. This includes any actionable incidental findings that are not in the lungs that may be found from the lung screening, such as thyroid, kidney, and breast nodules,” says Halliday. “We will be able to provide a streamlined and rapid pathway for patient communication on results and recommended follow-up, so they receive answers to their concerns quickly. This decreases the time a patient must wait for results.”
The OSF Moeller Cancer Center team can quickly manage the results utilizing “real time” reports so there is not a delay in receiving the results. Baxley and Matesa review all screening reports and provide recommended follow-up action plans quickly.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the only recommended screening test for lung cancer is low-dose computed tomography (also called a low-dose CT scan, or LDCT). During an LDCT scan, a patient lies on a table, and an x-ray machine uses a low dose (amount) of radiation to make detailed images of the lungs. The scan only takes a few minutes and is not painful.
According to the American Lung Association, lung cancer screening rates remain low among those at high risk. Nationally, in 2022, only 16.0% of those at high risk were screened.
Lung cancer (both small cell and non-small cell) is the second most common cancer in both men and women in the United States:
- The most common cancer in women is breast
- The most common cancer in men is prostate cancer
However, lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in the Unites States. Each year, more people die of lung cancer than of colon, breast, and prostate cancer combined.
The American Cancer Society’s (ACS) estimates for lung cancer in the US for 2025 are:
- About 226,650 new cases of lung cancer (110,680 in men and 115,970 in women)
- About 124,730 deaths from lung cancer (64,190 in men and 60,540 in women
- The number of new lung cancer cases continues to decrease, partly because more people are quitting smoking (or not starting). This is because smoking is the number one contributing factor to lung cancer.
- The number of deaths from lung cancer has decreased due to fewer people smoking and advances in early detection and treatment.
According to the CDC, in the United States, cigarette smoking is linked to about 80% to 90% of lung cancer deaths. Using other tobacco products such as cigars or pipes also increases the risk of lung cancer.
The American Lung Society says screenings are used to detect lung cancer early, when it is more likely to be curable. If lung cancer is caught before it spreads, the likelihood of surviving five (5) years or more improves to 64 percent.
Low dose computed tomography (LDCT) for those at high risk for lung cancer can help detect it earlier and has been shown to reduce the lung cancer death rate by up to 20%.
More information on the oncology services offered through the OSF Moeller Cancer Center can be obtained by visiting www.osfsaintanthonys.org.