CT Lung Cancer Screening Could Save 12,000 Lives a Year

Results of a new study have revealed promising results regarding the use of Computed Tomography (CT) scans to screen smokers and former smokers for lung cancer. The study, which was published in the journal Cancer, examined results from the National Lung Screening Trial (NLST) which took place between 2002 and 2009, and screened smokers and former smokers aged 55 to 74 for lung cancer. The NLST results, published in 2011, showed that lung cancer screening with low-dose CT scans reduced lung cancer deaths by 20% compared with chest X-rays.

Using this information, researchers from the American Cancer Society decided to calculate an estimate of how many lives could potentially be saved in the United States by using CT screening. Assuming that those eligible for screening would be men and women, aged 55 to 74, who either currently smoke or are former smokers (who quit within the last 15 years), the researchers estimated that a total of 12,250 lung cancer deaths would be prevented. While the authors recommend further studies to examine cost-effectiveness and screening frequencies, low-dose CT scans for lung cancer assessment hold great promise in reducing lung cancer deaths in this country.

Zwanger-Pesiri Radiology is pleased to offer low-dose CT scans for smokers. Ask your physician if you are an appropriate candidate for screening. If you are, you will need a prescription from your referring doctor. Please note that most insurance carriers require authorization for CT. Remember, the best thing you can do to prevent lung cancer is to stop smoking. Below are a few resources to help you get started:

• Stop Smoking - American Lung Association
• Guide to Quitting Smoking - American Cancer Society
• New York State Smokers' Quitline
• NYC Quits!
• CDC - Tips from Former Smokers

CT Scans of Mummies Show Modern Disease Isn't So Modern

Hardening of the arteries, or "atherosclerosis," was assumed to be a "modern" disease caused by today's lifestyle and bad food choices ... until now. Scientists have used whole body computed tomography (CT) scans on mummies from four ancient civilizations spanning over 4,000 years and found that they too suffered from atherosclerosis! The new study, published in the journal The Lancet, examined mummies from ancient Egypt and ancient Peru, as well as  Ancestral Puebloans and Unangan hunter-gatherers. Signs of hardening of the arteries were found in all of the populations, regardless of the diet and lifestyle of that population. Some of the populations were farmers, some were foragers, some lived mostly on fish, and some were hunters and lived mostly on meat.

The researchers concluded that "the presence of atherosclerosis in premodern human beings suggests that the disease is an inherent component of human aging and not characteristic of any specific diet or lifestyle."

 

Credit: Dr. Michael MiyamotoEgyptologist Gomaa Abdel-maksoud prepares a mummy for a CT scan. The researchers were looking for evidence of arterial disease in the mummies. This mummy, Hatiay, who lived between 1550 and 1295 BC, had extensive vascular disease. credit - http://www.livescience.com/14190-gallery-scanning-mummies-heart-disease.html 

New Hicksville Office and Extended Hours at All Locations!

At Zwanger-Pesiri Radiology, we are always looking for ways to improve the service and convenience that we offer our patients. Thus, we are proud to announce the opening of our new Hicksville office.

The Hicksville office is conveniently located near both the Long Island Expressway and the Northern State Parkway, as well as being accessible by the Long Island Rail Road. Our new location offers high-end imaging studies that you've come to expect from ZPR, including 3D Mammography (Tomosynthesis), 3T Skyra MRI, Digital X-ray and Ultrasound. The office is located at 272 North Broadway and the phone number is (516) 686-0900. The Hicksville office joins our other nine locations across Nassau and Suffolk counties, including Merrick, Massapequa, Plainview, Lindenhurst, West Islip, Smithtown, Stony Brook, East Setauket and Medford.

In addition to our new Hicksville office, ZPR is pleased to announce extended evening and weekend hours for all locations. Our offices will now be open Monday to Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. for all studies, and from 8:00 a.m. to midnight for MRI. On Sundays, the offices will be open from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. for all studies.