You may wish to consider a lung scan if you are a man over 35, or a woman over 40, and if any of the following apply to you:

• Heavy smoker or live with a heavy smoker
• Have been exposed to asbestos in the past
• Short of breath or have a persistent cough
• Coughing up blood

Smoking kills over 120,000 people each year in the UK and of these about a third die of lung cancer. One of the main problems is that symptoms do not usually occur until the latter stages of the disease when the outcome is almost always poor. Early detection is therefore vital.

EBCT is an excellent tool for lung screening. The lung scan is a fast, highly accurate, non-invasive and painless procedure. It can image the whole chest in 3D enabling even the smallest airways to be seen with startling clarity in a way that is impossible with traditional x-rays. EBCT can detect abnormalities such as lung tumours, emphysema and lung fibrosis at a very early stage. Tumours as small as 2mm can be visualised, dramatically improving the likelihood of survival after treatment.

No special preparation is required for the EBCT lung scan and you remain fully clothed throughout.

The actual time you spend in the scanner is about 15 minutes. Further details can be found in the Your Visit section.