Lung Nodule Clinic

You usually don’t experience any symptoms in the early stages of lung cancer. This makes screening for lung cancer vitally important, especially if you are at a high risk. When lung cancer can be detected early, there is a much better chance of treating it effectively.

Screening Process

The Aspirus Health Lung Nodule Clinic is designed to detect lung cancer in its early stages. If you are considered high risk, your primary care provider will order a screening test. The screening test is performed on a CT scanner using low dose computed tomography (LDCT). LDCT only takes a few minutes, is a completely painless process, that provides 3-dimensional images of the inside of your body.

Once the LDCT scan is read, you will be contacted by a nurse navigator by either a letter or a phone call, depending on the results. The nurse navigator will be able to answer any questions and will help you schedule future screenings or appointments for further follow-up.

You are considered high risk if you:

• Are between 50 and 80 years of age
• Currently smoke cigarettes or quit in the last 15 years
• Do or did smoke at least a pack of cigarettes a day for 20 years or 2 packs a day for 10 years.

Additional Screening

If one of your lung nodules needs further evaluation, a robotic-assisted bronchoscopy may be recommended. During a robotic-assisted bronchoscopy, the physician will guide an ultra-thin, flexible catheter through your airway. Doctors can navigate through the lung to reach nodules deep within the lung, enabling a more precise biopsy.

Take Our Lung Health Assessment