WVU Medicine Reynolds Memorial Hospital is now a site of service for the WVU Medicine Cancer Institute Lung Cancer Screening Program.

Reynolds Memorial Hospital joins WVU Medicine Wheeling Hospital in providing lung cancer screenings in the greater Wheeling area. The second location eliminates wait and travel times for patients. Wheeling Hospital and Reynolds

Hospital join several regional hospitals across the state that support the program. The Wheeling program was introduced in 2022 and has completed nearly 2,000 total screenings.

“We’re just trying to get out into the community to promote this program and let them know of this amazing service that we can provide,” Marquis Demniak, a nurse practitioner who oversees the program, said.

The WVU Medicine Cancer Institute Lung Cancer Screening Program is designed to detect cancer at its earliest stages before symptoms develop.

“My motto is that we are screening to cure,” Demniak said. “Our goal is to catch lung cancer before symptoms develop when it can be highly curative with surgery alone.”

Screenings are done using a low-dose CT scan of the chest.

“It uses minimal radiation,” Demniak said. “We use it to identify any small nodules or other lung findings.”

Regular lung cancer screening can reduce the mortality rate for some eligible, high-risk individuals. The WVU Cancer Institute provides evaluation, counseling and screening for eligible current and former smokers. Tobacco cessation services are also available.

Individuals are eligible for lung cancer screenings if they meet the following criteria:

• They are between the ages of 50-80.

• They have a greater than 20 pack/year smoking history.

• They are a current smoker or have quit smoking in the past 15 years.

• They have no symptoms of lung cancer.

Demniak encourages individuals who meet the criteria to book their screening or to discuss it with their healthcare provider.

“Early cancers may not always cause symptoms, this is why preventative screening is key in being able to catch cancers early when surgery can be curative,” Demniak said. “Quitting tobacco and staying adhered to annual lung cancer screenings will lessen the risk of lung cancer and optimize patient survival.”

Screenings are repeated annually if the patient continues to meet eligibility. Insurance coverage for lung cancer screening may vary. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will cover the cost of the low-dose CT scan for those who meet all eligibility criteria between the ages of 50-77. Some private insurances provide coverage up to age 80. Resources are available to help uninsured and underinsured patients seeking lung cancer screening through the West Virginia Lung Cancer Project and the Patient Advocate Foundation.

To register, call 304-242-6461, or fill out the self-referral form on the website at WVUMedicine.org/LungCancerScreening.

The WVU Cancer Institute is accredited by the American College of Radiology as a designated lung cancer

screening center.

Sponsored content brought to you by WVU Medicine