Thoracic Surgery:
Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center
200 Medical Plaza, Suite B265
Los Angeles, CA 90095
Phone: (310) 794-7333
Fax: (310) 794-7335
Pulmonary Medicine:
Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center
200 Medical Plaza, Suite 365B
Los Angeles, CA, 90095
Phone: (310) 825-8061
Fax: (310) 794-9718
Pulmonary Medicine:
Santa Monica UCLA Medical Center
1223 16th Street, Suite 3400
Santa Monica, CA 90404
Phone: (310) 449-0939
Fax: (424) 259-7790
The Lung Cancer Screening Clinic is composed of lung cancer experts from a multidisciplinary team - Pulmonary Medicine, Thoracic Radiology, and Thoracic Surgery.
The clinic is committed to providing excellent care in screening high risk patients for lung cancer, surveillance of lung nodules or spots, prompt initiation of procedures or studies for expeditious diagnosis when appropriate, and research in prevention and early detection of lung cancer. The clinic is an integral part of the UCLA Lung Cancer Program.
Since the advent of high-resolution, low dose chest CT scans, we are able to detect lung cancer earlier and find small lung nodules. The Clinic offers a sophisticated program to monitor lung nodules with regular follow-up and high quality imaging with low radiation exposure.
Lung cancer screening is not a substitute for quitting smoking. The most effective way to lower lung cancer risk is smoking cessation. Information on smoking cessation programs >
Early detection of lung cancer will initiate prompt treatment and improve your survival. Lung cancer has a poor prognosis when it is detected in advanced stages and is more difficult to treat. It is the deadliest cancer in both men and women. More people die from lung cancer than prostate, breast, and colorectal cancer combined.
High risk patients for lung cancer*
*High risk patients will be followed with a screening chest CT scan that is one-half to one-fifth the radiation exposure used for typical CT procedures.
Patients with lung nodule or spot found on chest x-ray or CT scan
Other risk factors for lung cancer^
^Based on the current evidence, it is unclear if screening CT scans will be beneficial to patients with these other risk factors.
The recommendations for lung cancer screening are based on a several studies that carefully evaluated low-dose CT scanning to look for lung cancer in high risk patients. The most significant study was the National Lung Screening Trial (NLST).
UCLA was a major contributor for the study. There were more than 50,000 people enrolled aged 55 to 74 who were current or previous heavy smokers (equivalent to smoking 1 pack a day for 30 years). The NLST showed that people who underwent low-dose CT scanning had a 20% lower chance of dying from lung cancer than those who received chest x-rays alone.
Pulmonary Medicine
Thoracic Radiology
Thoracic Surgery