Lung cancer kills more people worldwide than breast, colon, and prostate cancers combined. The reason is not that it is harder to treat. The reason is that most cases are found too late. By the time symptoms appear, chest pain, persistent cough, coughing blood, the cancer has often spread beyond the lungs.
Low-dose CT screening changes that equation. It finds small nodules and early-stage tumours years before symptoms develop, when treatment options are wider and outcomes are significantly better. At FV Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City, this scan costs a fraction of what it runs in Singapore, Hong Kong, or Australia.
The American Cancer Society recommends annual low-dose CT screening for apparently healthy adults aged 50 to 80 who have a smoking history of at least 20 pack-years and who currently smoke or have quit within the past 15 years. A "pack-year" means one pack per day for one year, so 20 pack-years could be one pack a day for 20 years, or two packs a day for 10 years.
Screening is also recommended for individuals who have been exposed to harmful substances or environmental pollution, including asbestos, radon, arsenic, radiation, or other toxic chemicals, even if they have never smoked.
If you are not sure whether you meet the criteria, contact Sondax and we will help you decide.
You lie on a scanner bed while the machine takes a series of low-radiation X-ray images of your chest from multiple angles. There is no injection, no contrast dye, and no discomfort. The scan itself takes about 10 to 15 minutes. You breathe normally between short breath-hold instructions, and then you are done.
The images are reconstructed into detailed cross-sectional views of the lungs, allowing radiologists to spot nodules as small as a few millimetres, long before a standard chest X-ray would detect them.
A negative (clear) result is good news, but it is not a reason to stop screening. The American Cancer Society recommends repeating the scan every year as long as you remain in the eligible age and risk group. Annual screening catches new developments early.
If the scan detects a nodule or abnormality, it does not necessarily mean cancer. Many lung nodules are benign. The next step is typically a Pulmonologist consultation to review the images, assess the size and characteristics of the finding, and decide whether to monitor it with a follow-up scan in a few months or proceed with further diagnostic testing. Sondax can arrange this consultation at FV Hospital.
This package is designed as a focused imaging screen. It keeps the cost low and the process fast, which suits many patients who simply want the scan done and their images read. If results come back clear, no further action is needed until your next annual screening.
If anything abnormal is found, Sondax will arrange a Pulmonologist consultation at FV Hospital so you can discuss findings and next steps face to face, in English. You do not need to figure out the follow-up on your own.
All prices are per person and subject to change without prior notice. If results are abnormal, a Pulmonologist consultation is recommended but is not included in the package price.
FV Hospital was established in Ho Chi Minh City in 2003 and is a member of Thomson Medical, one of Southeast Asia's leading healthcare groups. FV was the first hospital in southern Vietnam to earn the JCI Gold Seal in 2016, and has renewed its JCI accreditation four consecutive times with over 98 percent compliance across more than 1,200 international patient safety and quality criteria.
With 45+ specialties, 210+ Vietnamese and international doctors, and care for more than 6 million patients since 2003, FV blends French and Vietnamese medical expertise and provides English- and French-speaking staff for international patients.
