Lung Cancer Screening: What is a Low Dose Chest CT?

Chest CTs create an Image of the lungs by exposing the person to X-Ray radiation. Too much radiation exposure increases a person’s risk of developing cancer. To balance the risk of causing cancer and detecting lung cancer early when curable, screening Chest CTs use the least possible dose of radiation. These Chest CTs are called Low Dose Chest CT scans (LDCTs).

LDCTs expose a person to 1.5 millisieverts (mSv) of radiation which is the equivalent amount of radiation exposure one receives from 42 cross country flights or 6 months of the radiation one receives from living on Earth.  A regular Chest CT expose an individual to 6-8 mSv of radiation which is the equivalent amount of radiation from living on Earth for ≥ 2 years.

The chance of getting cancer from the radiation of a LDCT is remarkably less than the chance of preventing an at-risk person from dying from lung cancer if caught too late.

Get screened for lung cancer today!