Participants selected for the study will receive two screening CT scans, done one year apart, free of charge.

1. News From:
For Immediate Release December 12, 2014
Contact: Damian Becker, Manager of Media Relations
(516) 377-5370
Participants of Cancer Screening Study
Receive Free CT Scans for Lung Cancer
Oceanside, N.Y. — Men and women age 50 and older who are current or former smokers and who have
smoked one pack of cigarettes per day for 20 or more years are eligible and encouraged to apply to participate in
an ongoing international study that is focused on using Computed Tomography scanning ("CT scan" or "CAT
scan") to detect lung cancer in its early stages in high-risk patients.
The study, South Nassau Communities Hospital’s Early Action Lung Cancer Project (SNCH-ELCAP) is
being conducted by Shahriyour Andaz, MD, FACS, director of thoracic oncology, and Stewart Fox, MD, FACS,
director of cardiothoracic surgery, and is a continuation of South Nassau’s participation in the International Early
Lung Cancer Action Program (IELCAP), a collaborative group of international experts on lung cancer and
related diseases.
Participants selected for the study will receive two screening CT scans, done one year apart, free of
charge. The scans are performed using a state-of-the-art imaging system that produces superior scan image
quality, providing study participants with the most comprehensive CT screening available. The CT-scan takes
about 10 minutes and is able to detect nodules (tissue growths) in the lungs long before a chest X-ray would
detect them.
The results of the scans are sent to the participants as well as their physicians. Recommendations for
follow-up may range from an annual CT scan to more immediate diagnostic evaluations. Study participants are
financially responsible for recommended diagnostic evaluations and clinical care, but remain in the ELCAP study
for annual scans.
IELCAP research has found that lung cancers detected through screening CT scans have an estimated 80
percent cure rate compared to a 10 percent cure rate for lung cancers detected in the clinical setting. According
to the American Cancer Society (ACS), lung cancer accounts for about 27% of all cancer deaths and is by far the
leading cause of cancer death among both men and women. Each year, more people die of lung cancer than of
colon, breast, and prostate cancers combined.
Lung cancer mainly occurs in older people. About 2 out of 3 people diagnosed with lung cancer are 65 or
older; fewer than 2% of all cases are found in people younger than 45. The average age at the time of diagnosis
is about 70. Overall, the chance that a man will develop lung cancer in his lifetime is about 1 in 13; for a woman,
the risk is about 1 in 16. These numbers include both smokers and non-smokers. For smokers the risk is much

2. higher, while for non-smokers the risk is lower. Black men are about 20% more likely to develop lung cancer
than white men. The rate is about 10% lower in black women than in white women. Both black and white
women have lower rates than men, but the gap is closing. The lung cancer rate has been dropping among men
over the past 2 decades and has just recently begun to drop in women.
The ACS projects that in 2014 lung cancer will be the cause of 159,260 deaths (86,930 men and 72,330
women). Because lung cancer does not have any symptoms in its earliest stages, it is rarely discovered until the
disease has progressed to a late, almost untreatable stage. In contrast with its late-stage, low cure rate, it has
been shown that lung cancers found in the early stage are highly curable.
“Approximately 87% of lung cancers are directly related to tobacco smoke,” said Dr. Andaz. “The risk
of developing lung cancer is directly affected by how much a person smokes, and for how long they have
smoked.” Dr. Andaz cautions that people need to understand that even if they have stopped smoking they are
still at higher risk for lung cancer than a non-smoker. “If you have stopped smoking by age 35, your risk of lung
cancer decreases by 90%, and even stopping later in life can reduce the chances of developing lung cancer and
other smoking-related conditions.” Information about smoking cessation and counseling is provided at ELCAP
appointments to participants who are smokers.
For more information or to apply for the study, call the South Nassau Communities Hospital’s Clinical
Research Department (516) 632-3636.
Designated a Magnet® hospital by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), South Nassau®
Communities Hospital is one of the region’s largest hospitals, with 455 beds, more than 900 physicians and 3,000
employees. Located in Oceanside, NY, the hospital is an acute-care, not-for-profit teaching hospital that
provides state-of-the-art care in cardiac, oncologic, orthopedic, bariatric, pain management, mental health and
emergency services. In addition to its extensive outpatient specialty centers, South Nassau provides emergency
and elective angioplasty, and is the only hospital on Long Island with the Novalis Tx™ and Gamma Knife®
radiosurgery technologies. South Nassau is a designated Stroke Center by the New York State Department of
Health and Comprehensive Community Cancer Center by the American College of Surgeons and is an accredited
center of the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Association and Quality Improvement Program. In addition, the
hospital has been awarded the Joint Commission’s gold seal of approval as a Top Performer on Key Quality
Measures, including heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia and surgical care; and disease-specific care for hip and
joint replacement, wound care and end-stage renal disease. For more information, visit www.southnassau.org.
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