The Lung Cancer Alliance (LCA) is introducing Lung Cancer Awareness Month by helping at-risk veterans assess the risks and benefits of CT screening. The new pilot initiative will offer critical information on lung cancer risks and CT screening.

The Vietnam Veterans of America, a national veterans’ advocacy organization, and a select group of medical centers across the country, are collaborating with LCA. The initiative is set to begin on November 8, 2012, at Walter Reed National Medical Military Center in Bethesda, Md, a flagship facility for military health care. Additional medical centers are expected to join the initiative in the days surrounding Veterans’ Day.

“There is no better way to honor the men and women who have served our country than with an initiative that could save their lives,” said Admiral T. Joseph Lopez, USN, LCA Board Chairman. Veterans are typically at high risk for lung cancer because of high smoking rates and exposure to known carcinogens during active duty. Providing screening for those veterans who are at high risk with CT scans before symptoms occur can help identify lung cancer at an early and curable stage.

Source: Lung Cancer Alliance