ACR Backs Effort to Expand Lung Cancer Screening Recommendations

 

Dr. Sepideh Moayed is a California-based radiologist who has been in practice for more than 20 years. In addition to her role as a radiologist at Los Gatos Medical Center, Dr. Sepideh Moayed is longtime fellow of the American College of Radiology (ACR) and is adept at utilizing screening protocols for myriad diseases set forth by the ACR including lymphoma, lung, colon, hepatic, breast, prostate, ovarian, testicular cancers to name a few. The ACR recently endorsed a proposed change to lung screening recommendations put forth by the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF). The change would make screening opportunities available to a larger number of Americans. Research has shown that high-risk individuals who undergo yearly screenings using low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) are at a significantly reduced risk of mortality from lung cancer compared to those who are not screened. This screening method is particularly effective at identifying cancer at very early stages, which it’s more responsive to treatment. The USPSTF recommends that the minimum age for screening be reduced to 50 years of age from 55 years old, and down from 30 pack-years to only 20-pack years. A “pack year” consists of a year in which a person smoked at least 20 cigarettes per day for that year. The ACR supports these recommendations, while also stressing the importance of familiarizing providers with screening criteria and encouraging them to proactively encourage high risk patients to obtain these screenings.

Dr. Moayed keeps abreast of all evidence based medical research and knows that though screening is colossally important, unless there is behavioral change implementation, cancer progression and oncogenesis cannot be stopped by screening alone. Dr. Moayed has helped her patients successfully implement change and stay quit when it comes to cigarette smoking. She has found the COVID-19 pandemic to be a catalyst for quitting smoking. By spending quality time reviewing the (LDHR) chest CT images with her patients, she educates them about the irreversible long-term damage of cigarette smoking which include: COPD/emphysema, influenza, COVID-19, pneumonias, as well as small cell, adenocarcinoma and squamous cell lung carcinomas. She uses a multifaceted approach including lifestyle modification via glucose stabilization, meditation, exercise and CBT to help with mood and emotional support. Behavioral modification and pharmaceutical/receptor antagonists help with withdrawal symptoms and elapse prevention. She utilizes integrative supplements to help tissue oxygenation, while combating inflammation and free radical mitigation at a cellular level. She helps her patient heal physically, mentally and emotionally. She educates her patients about the intricacies of the mind-body-endocrine-metabolic-emotional-behavioral axis and helps them find a solution when it comes to tobacco addiction. “Imaging and diagnosis are what I’ve done for decades as a radiologist. Today, with the advent of patient centered medicine aimed at health optimization, I am grateful I can help my patients truly benefit from prevention and treatment when it comes to one of the greatest preventable chronic diseases of our times-cigarette smoking and nicotine addiction.”