COLUMBUS — Ohio’s first mobile lung cancer screening unit has hit the streets.

The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center — Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute recently launched the mobile unit to expand early detection and cancer prevention efforts in Ohio.

Lung cancer is the number one cause of cancer deaths in both men and women in the United States, claiming more lives than breast, ovarian, colon, kidney, melanoma, prostate and testicular cancers combined. Lung cancer screening has been proven to reduce lung cancer deaths among high-risk individuals by more than 20%.

In general, lung cancer screening is recommended once a year for people who are 50-80 years old, a current smoker with a history of smoking one pack per day for 20 years, and ex-smokers who have quit within the past 15 years. Individuals should consult their doctor about whether screening is right for them.

“Screening for lung cancer helps detect and diagnose the disease before it spreads or advances,” said Jasleen Pannu, MBBS, interventional pulmonologist and director of the Lung Cancer Early Detection program at the OSUCCC — James. “When caught early, lung cancer is highly treatable. Regular, low dose CT screening has been proven to be one of the most effective ways to identify lung cancer in high-risk patients, ultimately saving lives.”

Lung cancer screening is a fast, painless process using a low-dose computerized tomography scan–a CT scan–to look at a patient’s lungs for the early signs of cancer. It takes about 30 seconds as a patient lies on a table.

The OSUCCC — James mobile unit will visit rural and underserved areas in Ohio where smoking rates are higher.

“Often, a patient’s access to these screenings is limited due to the technology not being close to their homes. Being able to come to the patient removes at least one barrier for these patients to get screened,” said Pannu, also an associate clinical professor of internal medicine at Ohio State College of Medicine.

To find a location of the OSUCCC — James mobile lung cancer screening unit, call 614-293-6939.

To learn more about cancer treatment and clinical trials at the OSUCCC — James, visit cancer.osu.edu or call 800-293-5066.