Bill Brayton, 69, of Lisbon, smoked a pack of cigarettes a day for more than 40 years. He picked up the habit at 19 and finally quit around age 60, in 2016. After he stopped smoking, his primary care provider encouraged him to schedule a Lung Check screening—a recommendation Bill now says helped save his life.
Lung Check Catches Cancer in Early Stage
Lung Check is an annual screening recommended for current or former smokers who quit within the past 15 years, are ages 50 to 77, and have smoked at least a pack a day for 20 years or two packs a day for 10 years. Patients are given a CT scan of the chest, which is a quick, non-invasive test that uses low doses of radiation to provide 3D images of your lungs in seconds.
Brayton went in for his first Lung Check screening in early 2017, where a suspicious lung nodule was found.
“They said it was about the size of a nickel,” recalled Brayton. “I was diagnosed with stage 1 lung cancer.”
Because the cancer was caught in an early stage, the only treatment required for Brayton’s cancer was a surgery, where the lower lobe of his right lung was removed.
A Compassionate Team That Makes Screening Easier
Brayton returns to St. Luke’s Nassif Radiation Center each year for his Lung Check and is appreciative for the support he’s received from the team.
“I’ve been really impressed with them,” said Brayton. “They didn’t blame me for getting cancer or say, ‘You smoked for 40 years, what did you expect?’ There’s no judgement. I feel like I get special treatment, but I know it’s how they treat everybody.”
Following each scan, Brayton has a consult his pulmonologist, Vijaya Gogineni, MD, to go over the results. Thankfully, each scan has come back clean, and he has not had a recurrence.
Podcast Episode: Lung Cancer Screening
Mallory Kaemmer, supervisor at St. Luke’s Nassif Radiation Center, joins Dr. Arnold to discuss the Lung Check screening program, who qualifies, what the test is like and much more.
Bill’s Advice: Keep Trying to Quit—And Get Screened
Bill knows first-hand how difficult it is to quit smoking, but he encourages others not to give up.
“Trying to quit is not easy and it’s probably not going to happen on your first try,” he said. “Don’t give up. I tried several different ways to quit for 10 years, until one day I just decided it was time. If you fall off the wagon, strengthen your resolve and try again.”
Brayton also wants those with a smoking history to know how important annual Lung Check screenings are.
“The screening is quick and there’s no pain involved,” he said. “You do have to be prepared that you may get some bad news. I was hesitant my first time for that reason. I said to my doctor, ‘I don’t know if I really want to know.’ Then they found the cancer. Had I waited it wouldn’t have been good. But because they found it early, I just had surgery and didn’t need radiation or chemo.”
Experienced Lung Cancer Care
For more information about Lung Check, talk to your primary care provider or visit communitycancercenter.org/lung. If you’ve been diagnosed with lung cancer, or any type of cancer, the Nassif Community Cancer is here for you. For more information on our extensive offering of support services, call (319) 558-4876 or visit communitycancercenter.org.
