According to a new study, screening adults for lung cancer may save thousands of lives, but it would also cost the Medicare program billions of dollars. Lung cancer is the leading cancer killer in the U.S.

The U.S. Preventative Services Task Force suggests yearly low dose computed tomopgraphy (LDCT) screen for lung cancer among high-risk patients. According to researchers, implementing this policy in the Medicare program could potentially result in around 54,900 additional lung cancer cases discovered over a five-year span. Many of these cases would constitute early-stage disease.

The study is the first to examine a lung cancer screening model that specifically takes into consideration the Medicare population. This population has the greatest number of lung cancer occurrences, and many members qualify for the screening.

Hutchinson Institute for Cancer Outcomes Research, Joshua Roth, PhD, MHA, lead study author, said in a statement, “Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the United States. That’s mainly because lung cancers often aren’t caught until they are at an advanced stage.” He continued, “If we can periodically look for and detect cancer earlier that allows for potentially curative surgery, and generally, a much better survival prognosis.”

Researchers discovered that screening eligible current and former smokers with low-dose CT scans would lead to detections of 54,900 to 141,900 additional cases of lung cancer, depending on the number of people who are screened.

According to WebMD.com, the cost of the screenings and treatments to Medicare would total nearly $9.3 billion over a five-year span. This amounts to an extra $3 per month per premium increase for each Medicare member.