In 2023, lung cancer was the leading killer in Louisiana, accounting for 27 percent of cancer deaths in Louisiana. That equates to more than 2,300 lives lost each year to lung cancer, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Doctors say early detection is the key to good results.
Detecting lung cancer at an early stage allows for earlier treatment and a better chance of recovery and longer survival.
“The longer you wait from diagnosis to treatment, the more likely it is to be advanced, and the less likely it is to be cured,” said Dr. Susan Gunn. “That’s where we started.”
Gunn is the medical director of lung cancer screening at the Ochsner MD Anderson Cancer Center, located within the Gayle and Tom Benson Cancer Center at 1515 River Road in Jefferson, New Orleans.
Ochsner MD Anderson’s Single Anesthesia Event combines lung cancer diagnosis and removal with a single anesthesia procedure. For the patient, this means getting a lung cancer diagnosis and treatment in one hospital visit with a shorter recovery time.
Typically, diagnosing suspicious lung nodules for lung cancer involves two or more separate procedures – a biopsy for the tumor and a separate operation to remove the nodule if it is malignant.
In surgery, patients have a “nodule” of the lung under general anesthesia. If the biopsy results identify a malignant tumor, doctors remove the nodule with robotic surgery.
This method can shorten the waiting time between the identification of the tumor and the surgery to reduce the period of 10 weeks to two to three. This shortened period reduces patient costs and time spent in the hospital.
Dr. Brian Pettiford is a surgical oncologist specializing in breast surgery at Ochsner MD Anderson Cancer Center.
Dr. Brian Pettiford, a thoracic surgical oncologist at the Ochsner MD Anderson Cancer Center in New Orleans, says the combined process can also reduce patient anxiety by providing a faster way to diagnose and treat. lung cancer.
However, he said this is not the only way.
“There are strict criteria that we use to determine who is choosing this,” Pettiford said. “There is a specific group of patients or patients for this treatment, and we have several layers of protection put in place to ensure that they receive the highest quality care.”
Patients eligible for combined testing and treatment:
- Have a nodule (a small, potentially cancerous lump) in the lung that’s usually 2 centimeters or less, “but there are always exceptions,” Gunn said.
- Have a PET scan (3D imaging) to make sure the cancer has not spread anywhere else – to the lymph nodes, for example.
- They can tolerate surgery and anesthesia, “which means we want to make sure their hearts and lungs are healthy enough to go through anesthesia and surgery,” Pettiford said.
Historically, most cases of lung cancer are diagnosed in advanced stages. Only 15% to 20% of lung cancers are diagnosed in the early stages, according to Pettiford. According to Gunn and Pettiford, 50% of their patients examined by Ochsner had early lung cancer – a more manageable progression of the disease.
“What we’re trying to do is move the needle away from stages three and four, where the vast majority of these patients are diagnosed,” Pettiford said.
The US Preventative Task Force recommends that anyone between the ages of 50 and 80 be screened for lung cancer. Smoking is still the biggest risk factor for lung cancer.
Patients can expect the test to take less than five minutes. Lung cancer tests are non-invasive and do not require injections or dyes for a CT scan.
If the patient is a current smoker or first quit within the past 15 years, with a 20-year history of tobacco use (defined as a pack per day or more than 20 years), they they are recommended for annual inspection. for lung cancer.
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