Lung Cancer affects almost 8,000 Veterans and nearly 240,000 Americans every year. Air Force Veteran Douglas Cross knows this better than most. A low-dose CT scan found his cancer at an early stage when lung cancer is most treatable.
Cross, a machinist who joined the Air Force on the buddy system with his best friend, spent four years on active duty before returning home to Houston.
“Coming up through the Air Force, I remember back in basic the only way you could take a break is if you smoked cigarettes. At every break I remember bumming a cigarette. I know it started during basic, and it just never stopped over the years,” Cross recalled.
As he got older, he grew concerned with his smoking habit and knew he was at risk for lung cancer. “I started wondering, do I have cancer? It runs in my family,” he asked. In late 2022, his primary care provider sent him for tests and Stage II lung cancer was discovered. After his diagnosis, he quit smoking with the help of medication.
Living life to the fullest
By summer 2023, Cross had completed chemotherapy and was scheduled for surgery to have part of his left lung removed. Out of the potential 27 lymph nodes that the cancer could have impacted, only one showed trace amounts that would require Cross to be under surveillance by his medical team at Houston VA. The surgery was successful and Cross returned to his normal day-to-day activities at the end of September 2023.
“I’m just grateful overall that cancer is not going to be what knocks me out. I’m going to be bigger than cancer. That’s the message I want to spread now to other people who’ve been affected by it and are going through it right now,” Cross shared.
There are many reasons people want to quit tobacco—better physical and mental health, saving money, setting a good example, starting a family—and the benefits of quitting begin almost immediately.
Lung cancer screening
VA encourages Veterans to discuss lung cancer screening with their VA health care provider.
You may qualify for lung cancer screening if you:
- Are 50- to 80-years old
- Smoke cigarettes now or quit within the past 15 years
- Smoked cigarettes for at least 20 pack-years
A “pack year” is an estimate of how many tobacco products you have smoked in your lifetime. Twenty “pack years” equals smoking one pack of cigarettes a day for 20 years or two packs of cigarettes a day for 10 years. If you want to talk to your VA provider about lung cancer screening, call your VA care team or visit My HealtheVet.
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My VA Primary Doctor recommended me for this lung cancer screening (LCS) because I used smokeless tobacco for 40 years and had other exposures; however, those running the LCS program said I could not use the program because I wasn’t a smoker. My Doctor is currently looking for other avenues but this seems counterproductive. Hoping for resolution.
I have heard CT scans do not do well in finding cancer.
I made the wrong date as I did get drafted from April 13, 1971, to April 13, 1973. I got lucky then as I stayed in the USA Army as an audio engineer. My barracks was 6 miles from Mexico and did no fighting.
In my many CT scans SAVAHCS (Tucson) they says they have found a problem in my many years of smoking lungs. I got a right lung biopsy and did not find anything. Now I will get the results of the recent PET scan,
When I was drafted in 1991 I heard the sergeant many times “Smoke ’em if you got them”. I did and only went to the base commissary (grocery store) to get my cartons of cigarettes from there $1 cheaper than the PX. I should have purchased pallets of those cartons.
exposure to toxins, Agent Orange[AO] is a significant cause of lung cancer. Few veterans pursue a complete & comprehensive exam; if he/she believes they are victims of such exposure, it is essential to receive services. Such information must be made known: identified in any and all education re: lung cancer. Especially for former and/or non-smokers as signs and symptoms of lung cancer, likely as not, due to AO exposure, can remain dormant for decades when Agent Orange is the actual cause.
My life was saved when my VA doctor suggested I be screened for lung cancer. I was fortunate that the cancer in my right lung was relatively new and small (head of a match small). My surgeon said without the screening it would have taken about 18 months before I experienced any symptoms of the cancer. At that time the cancer would have been the size of a fist.
Don’t hesitate! Get screened ASAP,
I was in the Navy 1965-1987, smoking was common inside living spaces and everywhere onboard ships,”closed” spaces, plus asbestos. can I get a lung scan?
Hello George,
If you fall into the 3 requirements below for LCS, please discuss further with your PCP. Otherwise, you can talk with your PCP about a pulmonary function test (PFT) to ease your valid concerns as well.
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends annual lung cancer screening with low-dose computed tomography in people who meet all of these criteria:
1. Are ages 50 to 80 years.
2. Have a 20 pack-year smoking history.
3. Currently smoke cigarettes or quit within the past 15 years.
Thank you for your service!
Why can’t Veterans that were WELDERS in the Military ALSO get a LUNG CANCER Screening? My husband that I met at our first base was a High Performance Welder for 4 years, welding on the SR-71, U-2, T-38 and KC-135 aircraft. He went to a pulmonologist and was told that he has something in the bottom of his lungs. It was a sediment of some type. He NEVER smoked. So, WHY overlook Welders for a lung cancer screening?
Hello Msgt/Ret L Mariotti,
If he falls into to the 3 requirements below, he’s eligible for LCS, please reconsider talking with his PCP.
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends annual lung cancer screening with low-dose computed tomography in people who meet all of these criteria:
1. Are ages 50 to 80 years.
2. Have a 20 pack-year smoking history.
3. Currently smoke cigarettes or quit within the past 15 years.
Thank you for your service!
People as I have commented regarding the lung cancer screening, my husband NEVER SMOKED. So, that would DISQUALIFY him from what I see for the Lung Cancer Screening. That is why WELDERS SHOULD BE INCLUDED for the screening.
I have attempted get a Lung Cancer screening from the VA. I am retired USARMY and our VA is not interested in taking care of us Veterans. You go in for an Annual and they try to get you in and out as soon as possible. Normally 15 minutes.
Hello Bryant,
Sorry you’re experiencing this treatment at your VA.
If you fall into to these 3 requirements below for LCS, please reconsider talking with your PCP.
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends annual lung cancer screening with low-dose computed tomography in people who meet all of these criteria:
1. Are ages 50 to 80 years.
2. Have a 20 pack-year smoking history.
3. Currently smoke cigarettes or quit within the past 15 years.
Thank you for your service!