Roswell Park Cancer Institute is using a new weapon to attack the often deadly disease, lung cancer.
Currently the only sure way to detect lung cancer is through a biopsy, but this screening process will be less invasive and hopefully improve cure rates for the disease.
Rosewell Park’s lung team provides comprehensive, individualized lung cancer care and screening to over 400 inpatient admissions and 7,000 outpatient visits per year, including almost 600 new patients annually.
Early detection through a new screening program and part of Roswell’s Breath of Life Celebration coming up November 1st.
For most people, lung cancer is usually diagnosed after the onset of symptoms. By the time of diagnosis the cancer is often too advanced to give the patient a good shot at survival through treatment.
Rosewell Park Cancer Institute is urging anyone 55 or older with a 30 year or more record of smoking or other factors like exposure and family history to apply for their new CT or computerize tomography program. Certain respiratory ailments or exposure to asbestos or certain metals and chemicals can also be risk factors. For certain patients, a bronchoscopy checking the lungs may also be suggested.
The goal of the screening is to spot lesions or early growth cancer tumors in those at risk.
Picking up on lesions or growths in the early stages will allow patients to undergo surgery and maybe some chemo or radiation depending on what stage the cancer is at.
This CT screening for lung cancer is comparable to mammography for breast cancer.
Hopefully with the development of this screening, there will be a significant shift to early survivable lung cancer.
Rosewell Park Cancer Institute will further discuss the lung cancer screening program during their Breath of Life Celebration on Saturday, November 1st from 8:30 AM to 12:00 PM. This discussion will be Lung Cancer Awareness Month for November.
