Dartmouth Cancer Center joins statewide effort to increase lung cancer screening

Dartmouth Cancer Center (DCC) joins healthcare organizations across New Hampshire in a statewide effort to increase awareness of lung cancer screening and help eligible residents determine whether they could benefit from this potentially lifesaving test.

Led by the NH Cancer Partnership, the initiative brings together hospitals, health systems, healthcare professionals and community organizations with a shared goal: increasing the number of Granite Staters who receive recommended lung cancer screening.

DCC encourages people to understand their risk for lung cancer and talk with their healthcare teams about whether screening is appropriate for them. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States, and screening with a low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) scan can help detect lung cancer at an earlier, more treatable stage. Yet only 31.1% of eligible New Hampshire residents are currently up-to-date with recommended lung cancer screening, according to 2024 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data.

“Throughout my career as a pulmonary physician, I have seen firsthand how much of a difference it can make when lung cancer is found early,” said David J. Feller-Kopman, MD, chief of pulmonary and critical care medicine at Dartmouth Health’s Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC). “I want people to understand that screening is not about blame or judgment—it is about finding lung cancer as early as possible, when we have the best opportunity to treat it successfully. If you think you may qualify for screening, please ask. It could make all the difference.”

People may be eligible for lung cancer screening if they:

•    Are 50 to 80 years old 
•    Have a 20-pack year history of smoking, such as smoking one pack of cigarettes a day for 20 years or two packs a day for 10 years 
•    Currently smoke or quit smoking within the past 15 years

Screening can identify lung cancer before symptoms develop, when treatment may be more effective.

“Lung cancer is unique in that it rarely causes symptoms until it has reached advanced disease where treatments and survival are limited,” said Dana M. Ferrari-Light, DO, MPH, thoracic surgeon at DHMC. “But through a simple, painless, low-dose CT scan, we can catch it in its earliest stages. When we find lung cancer early, thoracic surgeons can use minimally invasive techniques to remove the tumor completely, turning what could have been a devastating diagnosis into a curable condition. Lung cancer screening doesn’t just buy time–it saves lives.”

At Dartmouth Cancer Center, patients with lung cancer have access to a multidisciplinary team of specialists, including pulmonologists, radiologists, thoracic surgeons, medical oncologists and radiation oncologists.

The statewide campaign includes community education, outreach through local organizations, educational resources and engagement with healthcare professionals to improve awareness and increase referrals for screening. By working together, participating organizations hope to reduce barriers to screening and ensure more NH residents have access to information and care.

Residents are encouraged to visit the campaign website to:

•    Learn who qualifies for lung screening 
•    Understand the benefits and potential risks of screening 
•    Talk with their healthcare team about whether screening is right for them

The campaign website is available at dhhs.nh.gov/lungscreening.

For more information about lung cancer screening services at Dartmouth Cancer Center, speak with your healthcare team or visit cancer.dartmouth.edu/lung-thoracic/lung-cancer-screening.