Low-dose CT lung cancer screening event to be held on Nov. 18

 

Event recognizes November as Lung Cancer Awareness Month

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 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 18.

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 counties in and around the Riverbend region can be found in the top 40 within the state:

• Greene County ranks 13^th highest out of 102 counties at 89.3/100,000 people
• Macoupin County ranks 18^th highest at 86.6 cases/100,000 people
• Jersey County ranks 35^th highest at 77.3/100,000 people
• Madison County ranks 39^th 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.

Baxley, serving in an advanced practitioner nurse role, has been an oncology services Mission Partner at OSF Moeller Cancer Center for the past six years and possesses 10 years of nursing experience.

Matesa possesses eight total years of oncology services nursing experience – the last five 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 percent 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 United 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 U.S. 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-percent 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 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 percent

More information on the oncology services offered through the OSF Moeller Cancer Center can be obtained by visiting www.osfsaintanthonys.org.

 

 

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About OSF HealthCare Saint Anthony’s Health Center

A 49-bed Rural Health designated acute care hospital in Alton, Ill., OSF Saint Anthony’s serves the residents of Madison, Jersey and Macoupin counties. It is home to OSF Moeller Cancer Center, which provides the latest diagnostic tools and treatment for patients in a relaxing environment. OSF Saint Anthony’s also provides 24-hour access to a physician-staffed emergency department, in addition to cardiovascular, neurology, pulmonology, surgical, rehabilitation services and more. OSF Saint Anthony’s is fully accredited by the Joint Commission for Healthcare Facilities, American College of Surgeons’ Commission on Cancer, American College of Radiology, American Heart Association, IDPH and TJC Primary Stroke Center. OSF Saint Anthony’s is part of OSF HealthCare – an integrated health system with 17 hospitals in Illinois and Michigan and robust Innovation and Digital Health divisions that provide access to specialty care and remote monitoring, helping people receive the care they need close to home. OSF HealthCare is operated by The Sisters of the Third Order of Saint Francis.

OSF HealthCare is an integrated health system founded by The Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis. Headquartered in Peoria, Ill., OSF has 17 hospitals – 11 acute care, five critical access and one continuing care – with 2,305 licensed beds throughout Illinois and Michigan. OSF employs over 27,000 Mission Partners across more than 170 locations. These include OSF HealthCare Children’s Hospital of Illinois, the third largest pediatric hospital in the state, and OSF OnCall, its digital health operating entity that offers hospital-at-home care. Advances in health care transformation take place through OSF Innovation as well as OSF Ventures, which provides investment capital for promising health care innovation startups. In addition, OSF operates two colleges of nursing; OSF Home Care Services, an extensive network of home health and hospice services; Pointcore Inc., which is composed of health care-related businesses; and OSF HealthCare Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the organization. OSF HealthCare has been recognized by Fortune as one of the most innovative companies in the country and by Forbes as one of America’s Best Employers for Healthcare Professionals. Learn more at osfhealthcare.org.