News

CMA is participating in the Maine Comprehensive Lung Cancer Screening Program

In collaboration with the Maine Medical Center Cancer Institute and Spectrum Medical Group, Chest Medicine Associates is pleased to announce our participation in the Maine Comprehensive Lung Cancer Screening Program. Individuals who may be eligible for lung cancer screening include those who:

  • are 55-80 years-old, and
  • currently smoke, or stopped smoking within the last 15 years, and
  • have a smoking history of at least 30 pack years (this means one pack a day for 30 years, or 2 packs a day for 15 years, etc.)

If you meet all three criteria, you may benefit from participation in the comprehensive lung cancer screening program, which includes the following services:

  • Lung cancer risk evaluation
  • Education and counseling about lung cancer screening and low dose chest CT scanning (LDCT)
  • LDCT scan and interpretation
  • Follow-up testing and treatment based on LDCT results
  • Referral to smoking cessation counseling and treatment resources

Please visit http://www.mmc.org/lungcancerscreening for more detailed information. If you are eligible and would like more information about this program, please Chest Medicine Associates at (207) 828-1122, extension 108

We are now providing Methacholine Challenge testing to our patients and patients with outside referrals for allergy and asthma.

Methacholine challenge testing is one method of assessing airway responsiveness. Airway hyperresponsiveness is one of the features that may contribute to a diagnosis of asthma.

Methacholine challenge testing (MCT) is most often considered when asthma is a serious possibility and traditional methods, most notably spirometry performed before and after administration of a bronchodilator, have not established or eliminated the diagnosis.

Methacholine challenge testing is also a valuable tool in the evaluation of occupational asthma. Methcholine challenge testing is sometimes used to determine the relative risk of developing asthma, assess the severity of asthma, and assess response to asthma therapy although its clinical use in these areas has not been well established.

CMA offers home sleep testing to our patients.

Home Sleep testing uses a portable device that may aid in the diagnosis of sleep disordered breathing in adults. The test monitors nasal airflow, blood oxygen level, pulse and respiratory effort.