CT Scan Detects Dennis Schmidt's Lung Cancer 14 Years After He Quit Smoking
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jul 11
CT Scan Detects Dennis Schmidt's Lung Cancer 14 Years After He Quit Smoking
1 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jul 11
Summary
A 2021 CT scan ordered during Dennis Schmidt’s annual Medicare wellness visit found adenocarcinoma, stunning the 74-year-old former nurse and Air Force medic.
Schmidt had smoked a pack of menthols a day for nearly 40 years before quitting in 2007, and said he assumed years without cigarettes meant he was in the clear.
His case underscores a screening gap: despite his health care background, Schmidt did not know lung cancer screening for current and former smokers had been recommended since 2013.
Lung cancer still causes an estimated 125,000 U.S. deaths this year, remaining the nation’s deadliest cancer even as smoking rates have fallen.