Dennis Schmidt Undergoes 2nd Stage 1 Lung Cancer Surgery After 2025 CT Scan

2 articles · Updated · Daily Kos · Aug 14

A 2025 surveillance CT scan found a small lower-lobe nodule in Dennis Schmidt, 75, leading to surgery that removed a second stage 1 lung cancer.
That recurrence followed a 2021 screening scan that detected stage 1 adenocarcinoma, after which Schmidt underwent robotic surgery to remove the upper lobe of his right lung.
Schmidt now takes a targeted anticancer drug daily in a 3-year regimen and continues regular scans, saying screening "did what it was supposed to do."
Only about a quarter of eligible Americans were up to date on lung cancer screening in 2024, even though annual low-dose CT scans cut lung cancer deaths by 20% in a landmark 2011 trial.
Doctors are pressing to widen U.S. screening rules beyond the current 50-to-80 age range, 20 pack-year history and 15-year quit limit, arguing many former smokers remain at rising risk.