There are emotional costs as well - including the fear and anxiety of a false positive. Dr. Rex C. Yung, director of pulmonary oncology at Johns Hopkins Hospital, said a recent Mayo Clinic study found abnormalities in 71 percent of scans - that's 19 out of 20 patients enduring false positive tests. "It is a huge additional burden - not just a $150 screening," he said.
Joy Shoemaker doesn't see it that way. The Annapolis breast cancer survivor lost her two older sisters to lung cancer in the past five years. By the time they were diagnosed, it was too late to save them. So when she heard Anne Arundel Medical Center was offering lung screening, she called.
Two years ago, her lungs were scanned, and doctors found a spot. They decided to watch it. When she returned last year, the spot had changed but not enough to do more than wait. Last week, she had another scan and is awaiting the result.
