Latest Cancer TreatmentsDr. Mohammadreza Dabiri
Dr. Mohammadreza Dabiriفارسی
Clinical tool

Should I Be Screened for Lung Cancer? (Pack-Year Calculator)

Age, pack-years and years since quitting for yearly low-dose CT

Updated: 27 October 20261 min read3 references

Is the person eligible for yearly lung cancer screening with low-dose CT? (US Preventive Services Task Force, 2021)

This calculator needs JavaScript; the formula and its interpretation are in the text of this page.

An aid for clinicians; it does not replace clinical judgement, local protocols or the drug label. Double-check every result before prescribing.

Who should be screened?

Adults aged 50 to 80 with at least 20 pack-years who still smoke or quit within the past 15 years: low-dose CT every year [1]. Pack-years = packs per day × years smoked.

In a large US trial, low-dose CT reduced lung cancer deaths by 20% [2], and in a European trial by about 24% in men [3].

For patients

Screening only makes sense together with quitting smoking. Most “suspicious” findings are not cancer and are clarified by follow-up scans. Read more: lung cancer.

Related cancer types

Lung cancer

Treatment regimens (physicians)

Trastuzumab deruxtecan (T-DXd, Enhertu): dose and monitoringCarboplatin, pemetrexed and pembrolizumab (KEYNOTE-189)Carboplatin, paclitaxel and pembrolizumab (KEYNOTE-407)Carboplatin-etoposide with atezolizumab or durvalumab in small cell lung cancerDurvalumab after chemoradiotherapy in stage 3 lung cancer (PACIFIC)Pembrolizumab alone in lung cancer with high PD-L1 (KEYNOTE-024)Osimertinib with pemetrexed and platinum (FLAURA2)Amivantamab with lazertinib (MARIPOSA)Adjuvant alectinib after surgery for ALK-positive lung cancer (ALINA)

Physician tools and lessons

Khorana Score (Cancer-Associated Thrombosis Risk)10 cheap steps that save patients' livesManagement of brain metastasesMalignant pleural effusion: drainage, pleurodesis or an indwelling catheter

References

3 references
Show all references, 3 with a study cardClose the reference list

Numbers in the text, such as [1], refer to these sources. Sources with a “Study card” button are summarised in the site’s evidence library.

  1. 1
    Screening for Lung Cancer: US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation StatementKrist AH, Davidson KW, Mangione CM, et al · JAMA · 2021;325:962-970
    Study cardDOIPubMed Back to text
  2. 2
    Reduced lung-cancer mortality with low-dose computed tomographic screeningAberle DR, Adams AM, Berg CD, et al · N Engl J Med · 2011;365:395-409
    Study cardDOIPubMed Back to text
  3. 3
    Reduced Lung-Cancer Mortality with Volume CT Screening in a Randomized Trialde Koning HJ, van der Aalst CM, de Jong PA, et al · N Engl J Med · 2020;382:503-513
    Study cardDOIPubMed Back to text

This page is based on reputable scientific sources and was last updated on 27 October 2026. The content of this website is for educational and informational purposes only and does not replace consultation, diagnosis or treatment by a specialist physician. Consult your treating physician about any treatment decision.

Printed from the website; the full and up-to-date version: https://drdabiri.com/en/tools/lung-cancer-screening-eligibility/

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