Eye on Health: Beacon’s team approach saves lives through early lung cancer detection
Published Nov 13, 2025
Lung cancer is often called “the silent killer” for a reason: In its early stages, there are often no symptoms. No cough, no shortness of breath, no warning signs at all.
“That’s precisely the objective of lung cancer screening: to be able to find it early before it’s too late when treatment options are more available and more successful and you can potentially be cured,” says Dr. Diego Heredia, pulmonary and critical care medicine with Beacon Medical Group.
Only 6 to 12 percent of those who qualify for lung cancer screening actually get screened, which is far lower than national breast and colon cancer screening rates. Low-dose CT scans can detect small lung nodules in minutes. When nodules are found, Beacon’s Lung Nodule Clinic team meets weekly to review each case.
Screening is recommended for adults 50 and older with a 20-pack-year smoking history, though non-smokers can be at risk from factors like radon exposure. There’s still time to be screened before the end of the year. Talk to your primary care provider about whether screening is right for you.
Watch our full WSBT Eye on Health interview below.
