Negative or Normal Results
Why should I quit using tobacco now, if my results were negative (normal)?
If your scan is "negative" it means that there is no evidence of lung cancer. You can be happy about that!
However, no matter what your scan results were, quitting is the most important thing you can do to lower your risk of getting lung cancer. Quitting can also reduce your chances of developing other types of cancer, such as cancer of the head, neck, breast, esophagus, stomach, kidney, and bladder. It also makes it much less likely that you'll die from premature heart disease or stroke. You've taken an important step by having lung cancer screening. Now is the time to take the next step and learn how to re-learn life without tobacco.
Does this mean I definitely don't have lung cancer?
A negative (or normal) scan is a very good sign that you don't have lung cancer. But it doesn't mean you won't develop lung cancer in the future. Quitting smoking is the best way to lower your chances of getting lung cancer.
If I quit smoking, does that mean I don't need to get tested again?
Health care providers can treat lung cancer more easily if you catch it early. The best way to catch lung cancer early, if it does develop, is to get screened every year. If you quit smoking now, you'll be much less likely to get lung cancer than if you continue smoking. Each year you stay quit, your chances of developing lung cancer go down even more. You still need to be screened every year, though, just to be on the safe side. Just as the damage from smoking took time to build up, it takes time for your body to heal itself.