BATON ROUGE — Lung cancer claims more lives each year in the United States than breast, prostate, and colon cancers combined, yet millions of Americans at risk remain locked out of routine preventive screenings.

Early detection through low-dose CT scans dramatically boosts survival rates, but strict federal criteria leave many who develop the disease ineligible until it is too late.

In a far-west suburb of Chicago, 62-year-old Cathy Hartmann helps manage and harvest more than 5,000 acres of corn and soybeans. She is physically active, leads a healthy lifestyle, and has never smoked.

"So lung cancer is definitely not something that I would have anticipated in my life," Hartmann said.

Despite having no symptoms or risk profile typically associated with the illness, Hartmann was diagnosed with early Stage 1 lung cancer. Her diagnosis came only because she volunteered for a free low-dose CT scan through a research initiative—she was not eligible for the test under standard insurance and medical guidelines.

Currently, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends annual lung cancer screenings only for adults between the ages of 50 and 80 who have a heavy history of smoking or who quit within the past 15 years.

"I think that we need to change the system, because the system must be broken if I'm a prime example of it," Hartmann said.

Her experience mirrors findings from a study conducted by researchers at Northwestern Medicine’s Canning Thoracic Institute. When analyzing nearly 1,000 consecutive lung cancer patients treated at the hospital, researchers found that just 35% would have qualified for screening under current federal standards.

"Thirty to 40% of newly diagnosed lung cancer patients have never smoked," said Dr. Ankit Bharat, executive director of the Canning Thoracic Institute and principal investigator on the study. "So there is no mechanism for these people to get a screening for lung cancer. And the vast majority of these never-smokers tend to be women."

Bharat and fellow researchers argue that the guidelines must be overhauled to an age-based model similar to mammograms and colonoscopies. They advocate offering screenings to all adults ages 40 to 85, regardless of whether they have ever smoked.

Because Hartmann’s tumor was caught so early, surgeons were able to remove it completely, leaving her cancer-free.

"I never had to be sick," Hartmann said. "And that's a testament to all the research."