Lung Cancer Risk & Screening: What Tests Are Right for You?

Question
Dana Reeve (wife of Christopher Reeve) recently died of lung cancer at the age of 44. She said that she never smoked and the news media made a big issue of the fact that she never smoked. I am 49, in good health, and never smoked (and never drank either). My question is this: what kind of test should I take to determine if I have the beginnings of lung cancer? Will chest x-rays be sufficient? Thank you very much for your response. Al Brown

Answer
Hi Al,
This is a tragic story to be sure. Lung cancer commonly comes from an irritant of some kind (Smoke, Radon,Asbestos) but certain types can occur without known cause. We don't yet have any tests to PRE determine a lung cancer vicitm.
A chest x-ray has marginal use in determining the presence of lung cancer. If you don't smoke, a chest xray will have very little diagnostic value. Of course you can have one done to see, but usually the value of a chest xray vs. the risk of repeated radiation has to be weighed.