How A Simple Screening Saved Paul’s Life

A simple lung screening saved Paul Carter’s life. Nine years ago, when Paul was 61, Dr. James Cohen, his primary care physician at Westford Internal Medicine, recommended he receive an annual lung cancer screening test — a lung CT scan that takes a detailed picture of the lungs to detect cancer at its earliest, most treatable stage. Paul was a smoker for 45 years but he had no symptoms of lung cancer or other diseases.

For two years in a row, Paul had annual lung scans at Emerson Hospital that detected no cancer. The third year, Dr. Jonathan Kim, the Emerson radiologist who examined the scan, found a worrisome mass in the right upper lobe of Paul’s lung. Paul was diagnosed with lung cancer. Dr. Hugh Auchincloss, thoracic surgeon at Emerson, successfully removed Paul’s cancer in March 2019.

Paul says he is now “feeling good and doing great. I am so pleased with all of the care I received at Emerson. I encourage people to get screened as early as possible. It saved my life and it could save yours.” The screening takes about ten minutes and uses 75 percent less radiation than a routine chest CT. For more information on screening criteria and to make an appointment, please call 978-287-3003.