Mount Nittany Medical Center Earns Lung Cancer Screening Center Designation

Mount Nittany Medical Center’s radiology department has received the Lung Cancer Screening Center designation from the American College of Radiology (ACR).

The designation is a program recognizing facilities that have committed to safe, effective diagnostic care for individuals at the highest risk for lung cancer.

To receive the distinction, departments must be accredited by the ACR in computed tomography in the chest module and undergo an assessment of lung cancer screening protocol and infrastructure. Procedures for follow-up patient care, such as counseling and smoking cessation programs, also are required.

‘Being a designated Lung Cancer Screening Center represents a major commitment to the recognition and treatment of the leading cancer killer of both men and women in the U.S.,’ says Dr. Edward Balaban, medical director for the Cancer Care Partnership, a joint effort between Mount Nittany Health and Penn State Cancer Institute. ‘This undertaking is a vital component in Mount Nittany Medical Center’s ongoing dedicated regional cancer care effort.’

Mount Nittany Health’s Lung Cancer Screening Program offers at-risk patients low-dose CT screenings, the second phase in a lung nodule program, made possible by a lead gift from Lloyd and Dottie Huck, according to a release from Mount Nittany Health. Individuals may be referred by their healthcare provider or request that their provider enroll them in the program. Low-dose CT scans, which take five minutes to complete, are painless and non-invasive and can detect very small nodules in the lung.

The scans use up to 90 percent less ionizing radiation than regular CT scans, and no radiation remains in the body after the scan. Lung cancer found by this screening method is often at an early stage of the disease.

Low-dose computed tomography scans, and appropriate follow-up care, significantly reduces lung cancer deaths. In December 2013, the United States Preventive Services Task Force recommended screening of adults aged 55 to 80 years who have a 30 pack-a-year smoking history and currently smoke or have quit within the past 15 years. Lung cancer is the nation’s leading cancer killer – taking the lives of more people each year than breast, colon and prostate cancers combined.