She found out she had lung cancer , but it was in an early stage . The tumour just happened to be pressing against a blood vessel , causing the alarming symptoms that sent her to the hospital .
By the time many people with lung cancer realize something is wrong , the disease is usually far more advanced , and no longer curable .
“ I was fortunate — as much as I can be fortunate ,” Colton said from her home in Calgary , where she ’ s now living with no evidence of disease more than a decade after she was first diagnosed .
“ If my cancer had not been discovered early , I wouldn ’ t be here today .”
In Alberta , there ’ s no standard screening for lung cancer like there is for breast , colon and cervical cancer . But Alberta Health Services is now recruiting patients for a pilot project that could lead to expanded screening across the province .
For now , eligibility is limited to people who get care in the Edmonton O-day ’ min , Calgary Mosaic or Grande Prairie primary care networks . Patients aged 50 to 74 who smoked cigarettes for at least 15 years — regardless of how much they smoked or whether they ’ ve since quit — can be referred for the pilot screening . If they ’ re assessed to be at a higher risk of getting cancer , they can get a low-dose computed tomography ( CT ) scan , which produces detailed images of their lungs .
Calgary respirologist Dr . Alain Tremblay , the medical lead for the pilot program , said lung cancer ’ s furtive presentation is “ the crux of the problem ” with the disease .
“ I mean , people present with lesions in their brain and that ’ s the first sign of the lung cancer — it spread to their brain ,” he said .
Three-quarters of the people he sees in his lung cancer clinic come in with advanced disease .
“ If you screen , you flip that around completely ,” Tremblay said . “ Three-quarters of the people we detect in the screening programs are actually early-stage cancers that can be cured , typically with surgery and sometimes with radiation .”
Various factors play into lung cancer risk , but cigarette smoking is the cause of roughly 80 per cent of cases . For now , smoking history is a significant factor for the screening pilot , but Tremblay said there ’ s more work that ’ s needed to figure out how to identify more lung cancer earlier .
Screening programs for other cancers often cast a wide net , with regular tests recommended based on age and gender . But weighing the risks and benefits of screening is more complex when it comes to lung cancer .