Earlier this week, the American Cancer Society updated It updated
its screening guidelines to reduce cancer deaths.
Its age, to get screened,
dropped from 55 to 50 years old.
A Novi woman being treated for lung cancer says she's
grateful for those new guidelines.
Our Andres Gutierrez is on your block in Commerce Township
at DMC here on Valley Sinai Hospital with her story.
Actually started smoking when I was about 14 and stopped
when I was maybe 68.
And ever since she was 29,
Bonnie three has had annual tests for a note in
her left lung.
This past spring, her primary care doctor noticed something on
a scan he thought should be checked.
The test is easy. It takes a few minutes.
It's pretty cheap. It's covered by your insurance.
At DMC Huron Valley Sinai Hospital,
chief pulmonologist Doctor Lawrence McDonald performed a lung biopsy using
this robotic assisted bronchoscopy.
This goes in and out of the patients.
In and out of the patient's chest at various angles
and distances.
To more accurately find where the nodule is,
he discovered a small section of cancer deep into the
lower lobe of Bonnie's right lung.
Well, when I first got I was in shock.
Like, that cannot be. I have this,
I have these tests every year and it's always negative.
But. Then then you cry.
After doing 5 rounds of radiation,
Bonnie is scheduled for another scan later this month through
primary care doctors ordering lung cancer screening tests and having
this sort of technology available.
I believe and it's already been demonstrated,
5 year survival from lung cancer is probably gone from
about 15%
to 2223% just through those techniques.
That's huge. I'm hoping that many people will not be
afraid to go get.
The lung exam.
And find out. And if you do have it,
take it from there and catch it early so you
can be cured in Commerce Township.
Andres Gutierrez, CBS News Detroit.