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Wellness

Free screening for smokers and high-risk individuals of lung cancer

The screening campaign, Are You At Risk?, is ongoing till Nov 15.

Free screening for smokers and high-risk individuals of lung cancer

(Photo: iStock/utah778)

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From now till Nov 15, smokers and individuals at risk of lung cancer can benefit from a free low-dose computerised tomography (LDCT) scan at the Are You at Risk? campaign.

The screening event, organised by 365CPS and AstraZeneca, is complimentary for smokers and non-smokers between 50 and 80 years old as long as they meet the following criteria:

  • Smokers who have smoked at least 20 pack years*.
  • Smokers who have quit less than 15 years ago.
  • Non-smokers with a family history of lung cancer, who are between 50 and 75 years old.

Interested individuals must have a valid blue or orange CHAS card to be eligible for the sponsored screening.

*Pack years is calculated by multiplying the number of cigarette packs smoked per day by the number of years you have smoked. Here's a quick guide:

Packs per day Years of smoking Pack years
1/2 pack 20 10
1/2 pack 30 15
1/2 pack 40 or more 20
3/4 pack 20 15
3/4 pack 30 or more 22.5
1 pack 10 10
1 pack 20 or more 20
2 packs 5 20
2 packs 10 or more 20

Lung cancer is often asymptomatic until the later stages when spots are picked up in chest X-rays.

But unlike regular X-rays, the LDCT scan is highly accurate in detecting small spots in the lungs, and has been proven to reduce the number of deaths from lung cancer in high-risk patients compared to a chest X-ray.

Screening is important as it can improve early detection rates as well as improve treatment outcomes and reduce mortality.

From 2017 to 2021, close to 8,700 cases of lung cancer were diagnosed in Singapore, with more than 60 per cent of the diagnoses at Stage IV.

Lung cancer is the third-most common cancer in men and women in Singapore. It is the leading cause of cancer death for men and third cause of cancer death for women.

For more information, visit www.365cps.org.sg/events/screeningcampaign/are-you-at-risk.

Source: CNA/bk

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