Lung screening in Orlando, FL is primarily recommended for adults ages 50 through 80 who have smoked at least 20 pack-years and either still smoke or quit within the past 15 years. People who meet all three criteria may benefit from annual low-dose CT screening.
At Life Imaging, we also hear from adults who have never smoked heavily but remain concerned because of secondhand smoke, family history, radon, or years spent around dust and fumes at work. These factors belong in a conversation with a physician, but they do not automatically place someone within the standard annual screening criteria.
Our Orlando lung screening is designed for stable adults who are not experiencing symptoms that require diagnostic care. A new cough, coughing up blood, chest pain, or worsening breathlessness should be evaluated by a healthcare provider rather than handled through routine screening.
If you need help understanding whether your smoking history fits the criteria, contact our Orlando team before scheduling.
Who Meets the Standard Criteria for Annual Lung Screening?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends annual screening with low-dose CT when a person meets all three requirements:
Age 50 through 80
This is the age group for whom national recommendations apply. Age alone is not enough — smoking history and current health must also be considered.
At least a 20 pack-year cigarette smoking history
Pack-years combine the average number of packs smoked per day with the total number of years a person smoked.
Current smoking or quitting within the past 15 years
Former smokers may remain at higher risk for years after quitting. Screening can continue during this period if the other requirements are still met.
Meeting the criteria means screening is worth discussing. It does not mean annual CT should begin without considering the possible benefits and harms.
Overall health matters too. Screening may no longer be useful if a serious condition substantially limits life expectancy or would prevent someone from receiving treatment if lung cancer were found.
How Do You Calculate Your Pack-Years?
Multiply the average number of cigarette packs you smoked per day by the number of years you smoked. A few examples make the calculation easier:
- One pack per day for 20 years equals 20 pack-years
- Two packs per day for 10 years equals 20 pack-years
- Half a pack per day for 40 years equals 20 pack-years
- One and a half packs per day for 20 years equals 30 pack-years
Your history may not fit one clean calculation. Many people smoked different amounts at different stages of life. Suppose you smoked one pack a day for 10 years, stopped for five years, and later smoked half a pack a day for another 20 years — the first period equals 10 pack-years, the second also equals 10, and added together the total is 20 pack-years.
Cigars, pipes, vaping, and secondhand exposure are not converted into cigarette pack-years through the same formula. Include them in your health history, but discuss them separately.
Should Former Smokers Still Get Lung Screening?
Yes, some former smokers should continue annual screening. If you quit less than 15 years ago, are between 50 and 80, and have at least 20 pack-years of cigarette exposure, you may remain eligible. Quitting starts reducing lung cancer risk, but the benefit grows gradually — a person who stopped smoking three years ago does not carry the same risk as someone who quit 20 years ago. The CDC explains that quitting smoking lowers cancer risk, regardless of age or how long a person smoked.
Annual screening should generally stop when:
- You turn 81
- You have not smoked for at least 15 years
- A serious health condition substantially limits your life expectancy
- You would be unable or unwilling to receive curative treatment if cancer were identified
Write down the month and year you quit. If you stopped and restarted several times, your physician can help organize the timeline.
What Other Lung Cancer Risks Should You Mention?
Smoking remains the main factor used in current annual LDCT guidelines. Other exposures can still affect risk and should not be ignored.
Secondhand Smoke
Living or working around tobacco smoke for years may increase lung cancer risk. Think about exposure at home, in vehicles, or at jobs where indoor smoking was once common. Secondhand exposure alone is not part of the standard annual LDCT criteria.
Occupational Exposure
Central Florida residents bring many different employment histories to Orlando — construction, transportation, aviation, maintenance, manufacturing, agriculture, automotive repair, or emergency response. The National Cancer Institute lists asbestos, arsenic, chromium, nickel, beryllium, cadmium, tar, and soot among occupational lung cancer risks.
When discussing work exposure, be specific:
- What material or substance was involved
- Was the work indoors or outdoors
- How many years did it continue
- Was respiratory protection available
- Did you smoke during the same period
- Did your employer provide medical monitoring
Family History
Tell your physician if a parent, sibling, or child had lung cancer. The number of relatives affected, their ages when diagnosed, and whether they smoked can add context to your own risk. Family history alone does not establish eligibility for annual LDCT.
Radon
Radon is a naturally occurring gas that can build up inside a home or workplace. Long-term exposure increases lung cancer risk, particularly for people who also smoke. A home test can measure radon inside the building, but it cannot determine whether a person has lung disease.
When Is Screening the Wrong First Step?
Lung screening is intended for adults without symptoms suggesting an active medical problem. Symptoms require evaluation, and the physician may choose a diagnostic chest CT rather than a low-dose screening protocol. Seek medical care if you have:
A cough that does not go away
A persistent cough has many possible causes. It warrants medical attention if it persists, changes, or becomes more severe.
Blood when coughing
Even a small amount of blood should be evaluated promptly. Do not wait for a preventive screening appointment.
New breathing difficulty
Sudden shortness of breath can be an emergency. Gradually increasing breathlessness also needs physician review.
Unexplained chest pain
New chest pain may involve the lungs, heart, muscles, or digestive system. Severe or sudden pain requires immediate attention.
Weight loss without a clear reason
Unintended weight loss, changes in appetite, or unusual fatigue should be discussed with a healthcare provider.
Repeated respiratory infections
Pneumonia or another recurring infection, especially in the same lung area, may require diagnostic imaging.
Screening is not a faster substitute for seeing a physician. Starting with the correct clinical pathway can prevent delays and unnecessary repeat imaging.
How Is Low-Dose CT Different From a Chest X-Ray?
A chest X-ray produces a single flat image — bones, lung tissue, blood vessels, and other structures overlap. Low-dose CT captures many cross-sectional images, letting a radiologist move through the chest one section at a time and making small nodules easier to see.
The National Cancer Institute’s National Lung Screening Trial found fewer lung cancer deaths among high-risk adults screened with low-dose CT than among those screened with chest X-rays. That benefit was demonstrated in people at elevated risk — it does not mean annual CT screening provides the same benefit to adults with little or no smoking history. Screening LDCT also differs from a diagnostic chest CT, which may use a different radiation dose, intravenous contrast, or a protocol selected to investigate symptoms.
What Can a Lung Screening Scan Find?
The scan may identify a lung nodule before it causes symptoms. A nodule is a small area that looks different from the surrounding lung tissue. Finding a nodule does not mean finding cancer — many nodules arise from a prior infection, inflammation, scar tissue, or another benign condition. Low-dose CT may also show:
- Emphysema-related changes
- Areas of lung scarring
- Signs of previous infection
- Pleural thickening or fluid
- Enlarged lymph nodes
- Calcified areas
- Other visible structural changes
- Incidental findings outside the lungs
The radiologist looks at a nodule’s size, shape, density, location, and edges. If an older scan is available, comparison can show whether the area has remained stable. A screening CT cannot confirm lung cancer — when a finding looks suspicious, further imaging, specialist care, or biopsy may be needed.
What Are the Limits and Risks of Lung Screening?
The decision becomes easier when you understand what may happen after the scan.
False-positive findings can occur
A scan may identify an area that looks suspicious but later proves to be benign. Follow-up often involves repeat imaging, although some people need more testing.
Unexpected findings may appear
CT images include structures near the lungs. The radiologist may mention something involving the thyroid, blood vessels, kidneys, or another visible area.
LDCT still uses radiation
The dose is lower than that of a standard diagnostic CT, but annual examinations result in repeated exposure. This is one reason screening should focus on people likely to benefit.
Overdiagnosis is possible
Screening may identify a cancer that would never have caused symptoms during the patient’s lifetime, leading to care that might otherwise have been unnecessary.
A normal scan can create false reassurance
No test finds every cancer. A normal report should never be used to dismiss future symptoms.
These concerns do not erase the value of annual LDCT for eligible adults. They explain why the screening decision should be informed rather than automatic.
What Happens During Lung Screening in Orlando?
Our lung screening in Orlando uses low-dose CT and does not require sedation. You lie on the scanner table, generally with your arms positioned above your head. The table moves through the open center of the CT machine while the images are captured. Our technologist guides you through the process and may ask you to hold your breath for a few seconds. The scan itself is usually quick. Tell us before the examination if you:
- May be pregnant
- Recently had chest imaging
- Have a lung nodule already being monitored
- Have undergone lung surgery
- Are receiving treatment for cancer
- Have developed a new cough or breathing symptom
- Have difficulty lying flat or holding your breath
Once the images have been reviewed, you receive a written report to share with your physician.
What Should Happen After You Receive the Report?
The report may recommend another screening in one year, earlier repeat imaging, or a more detailed evaluation. If no suspicious findings are detected and you remain eligible, annual screening may continue — keep each report so future images can be compared. If a nodule is found, the next step depends on its size and appearance; many small nodules are monitored instead of biopsied immediately.
Follow-up may involve:
- Comparing the scan with older images
- Repeating low-dose CT after a set interval
- Completing a diagnostic chest CT
- Consulting a pulmonologist
- Having pulmonary function tests
- Undergoing PET imaging
- Considering biopsy when medically appropriate
Do not assume that a follow-up recommendation means cancer. It means the radiologist saw something that needs clarification or observation.
How Is Our Orlando Location Connected to Central Florida?
Our Life Imaging Orlando center is located at 930 South Orange Avenue. We see patients from Orlando and surrounding communities, including Winter Park, Maitland, Belle Isle, Conway, Edgewood, and other parts of Central Florida.
A person’s lung history often reaches well beyond their current neighborhood. Many Orlando residents have moved from other states or countries, changed careers, or worked in several environments over the years. Before discussing screening, think about:
- Every period when you smoked cigarettes
- The date you finally quit
- Homes or workplaces where indoor smoking was common
- Work involving dust, fumes, asbestos, diesel exhaust, or chemicals
- Military service
- Serious lung infections
- Previous chest X-rays or CT scans
- Lung cancer among close relatives
That complete timeline is more useful than focusing only on recent years in Orlando.
Why Choose Life Imaging in Orlando?
At our South Orange Avenue center, we provide low-dose lung screening and a written report patients can use in conversations with their healthcare providers. Patients choose us for:
A quick, noninvasive scan
Our lung screening requires no sedation, injections, or recovery time.
Clear guidance during the appointment
We explain the positioning and breathing instructions before the images are taken.
Professional image review
Your scan is interpreted and documented in a report that can be shared with a physician or lung specialist.
A Central Florida location
Our Orlando center serves patients from the city and surrounding communities who want access to preventive CT screening.
Several imaging services in one place
We offer lung screening, heart screening, virtual colonography, and abdominal and pelvic screening. Each service should be chosen for a clear reason.
Responsible clinical boundaries
We provide screening and imaging reports. Your healthcare provider remains responsible for diagnosis, treatment, smoking cessation support, medication, and referrals.
If you have questions about pack-years or what to bring to your appointment, contact our team.