OSWEGO, N.Y. — Oswego Health’s new computed tomography (CT) scanners have been designated as Lung Cancer Screening Centers by the American College of Radiology (ACR).
Oswego Heath recently installed low-dose CTs at Oswego Hospital, the Central Square Medical Center, and the Fulton Medical Center.
The ACR Lung Cancer Screening Center designation is a voluntary program that recognizes facilities that have committed to practice “safe, effective diagnostic care for individuals at the highest risk for lung cancer,” according to an Oswego Health news release.
To receive this distinction, facilities must be accredited by the ACR in computed tomography in the chest module, as well as undergo a “rigorous” assessment of its lung-cancer screening protocol and infrastructure. Also required are procedures in place for follow-up patient care, such as counseling and smoking-cessation programs.
Lung-cancer screening with low-dose computed tomography scans, and appropriate follow-up care, significantly reduces lung-cancer deaths, the release stated. In December 2013, the United States Preventive Services Task Force recommended screening of adults aged 55 to 80 years who have a 30 pack-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, per the release.
Along with screening for lung cancer, a CT scan is one of the “fastest and most accurate tools” for examining the chest, abdomen and pelvis because it provides detailed, cross-sectional views of all types of tissue, Oswego Health said. It is also used to examine patients with injuries from trauma, such as a motor-vehicle accident, as well as patients with acute symptoms like chest pain, abdominal pain, or difficulty breathing.
The ACR, founded in 1924, says it devotes its resources to making imaging and radiation therapy “safe, effective and accessible” to those who need it. Its 36,000 members include radiologists, radiation oncologists, medical physicists, interventional radiologists, and nuclear-medicine physicians.
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