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Comprehensive lung cancer program
More experience, more treatments and comprehensive care
Aurora BayCare Medical Center brings together the latest treatments and
techniques, dedicated lung cancer specialists, and complete support services to
provide personalized care customized to each patient.
Multidisciplinary approach to lung cancer treatment
For each lung cancer patient, Aurora BayCare brings together a team of
physicians from various medical disciplines – oncology, radiology, pathology,
thoracic surgery and radiation oncology – to share knowledge, experience and
expertise.
Vince Lombardi Cancer Clinics
One of the key advantages of Aurora BayCare’s program is that patients have
access to the highest level of acute tertiary care, including the latest
technologies and techniques, but can receive additional treatments such as
radiation therapy and chemotherapy at a Vince Lombardi Cancer Clinic closer to
home. In fact, there are more than a dozen Vince Lombardi Cancer Clinics in
eastern Wisconsin, stretching from Marinette to Kenosha.
Genetics Counseling Program
Through a variety of screenings, the Cancer Genetics Counseling Program can
help you learn if you or a family member are at high risk of developing cancer.
By taking into consideration personal and family medical histories, a physician
can identify patients and their families who would benefit from meeting with a
genetic counselor for a hereditary cancer risk assessment.
Smoking cessation
As part of our Care Management Initiatives, Aurora offers a variety of
treatment strategies to help you quit smoking.
Lung cancer: prevention & early detection
Find cancer early and improve your chances of survival. Lung cancer is among
the most preventable cancers, as tobacco use is responsible for 87% of lung
cancers. In fact, tobacco is responsible for about 21% of all cancers. But if
detected early and surgically removed, lung cancer has a cure rate of 70%.
Without early treatment, the long-term survival rate for lung cancer is 15%.
We encourage our patients and their loved ones who smoke to take advantage of
our smoking cessation programs.
Risk factors
Risk factors for developing lung cancer include:
- Smoking (including cigarettes, cigars and pipes)
- 2nd-hand smoke (from other people smoking)
- Asbestos (a natural mineral used in insulation and other materials)
- Radon (a radioactive gas released by rocks and soil)
- Air pollution (particularly byproducts of burning diesel and other fossil
fuels)
- Coal dust (from working in a mine or around coal)
- Personal history (if you’ve had certain lung diseases or previous lung cancer)
- Age (lung cancer is rare in people under 40)
Prevention
Quit smoking and avoid 2nd-hand smoke. Have your home tested for asbestos.
Wear appropriate protective gear when working with asbestos. Try to minimize
exposure to air pollutants from diesel fumes and fossil fuels. Check your home’s
radon levels with kits available at hardware stores. Obtain early treatment for
tuberculosis (TB) and other lung diseases. Avoid living or working in a place
where 2nd-hand smoke, asbestos, radon or coal dust is present.
Signs & symptoms
Most lung cancers don’t cause symptoms until they have grown fairly large or
spread to nearby tissues. Common symptoms of lung cancer include:
- A cough that does not go away and gets worse over time
- Chest pain often made worse by breathing
- Shortness of breath, wheezing or hoarseness
- Unexplained weight loss or loss of appetite
- Recurring infections such as bronchitis and pneumonia
- Coughing up bloody or rust-colored sputum
- Fatigue
These symptoms can also be caused by other conditions. Check with your doctor
if you develop any of these symptoms.
Early detection
Sometimes a chest X-ray will detect early lung cancer. However, a CT scan
(computed tomography) is more sensitive and may detect early tumors that an
X-ray can’t.
Aurora BayCare is participating in an early detection research study for lung
cancer called the International Early Lung Cancer Action Program (IELCAP), one
of the many clinical trials that Aurora BayCare patients may have access to.
Lung cancer: diagnostics & staging
Tests are key to diagnosis and treatment
Cancer forms when cells divide and grow abnormally. Cancer refers to
malignant tumors that can spread to nearby tissues and other parts of the body
and cause death. Benign tumors are not cancerous and do not invade other tissues
or spread.
There are 2 types of cancer originating in the lungs. Non-small cell lung
cancer (NSCLC) accounts for up to 85% of all lung cancers. There are 3 main
kinds of NSCLC, named for the cells where the cancer develops: squamous cell
carcinoma, adenocarcinoma and large cell carcinoma. NSCLC typically grows and
spreads more slowly than the second type of lung cancer, small cell lung cancer.
Small cell lung cancer accounts for 15-20% of all lung cancers and is more
likely to grow faster and spread more quickly. Small cell lung cancer is also
called oat cell cancer or poorly differentiated neuroendocrine carcinoma.
Diagnostic tests
Sputum cytology: a sample of phlegm (mucus from the lungs)
is analyzed to see if cancer cells are present.
Chest X-ray: an X-ray of the organs and bones inside the
chest to detect tumors (windpipe) and lungs to check for abnormal areas or
collect tissue samples for biopsy.
Needle aspiration: a needle is inserted through the surface
of the chest and into the tumor to remove a tissue sample for testing.
Thoracentesis: fluid is removed from the pleural cavity
(space between the lungs and chest wall) through a needle inserted between the
ribs.
Thoracoscopy: a thin, lighted tube connected to a video
camera is inserted through a tiny incision to view the space between the chest
wall and lungs, including tumors on the surface of the lungs. A biopsy can also
be taken of any suspicious areas.
Thoracotomy: surgery to open the chest and examine the lungs
and surrounding tissues.
Staging tests
“Staging” is the process of determining the size of the cancer and whether it
has spread in the chest or to other parts of the body.
Staging helps determine treatment. There are 5 stages of non-small cell lung
cancer (Stages 0, I, II, III, IV) and 2 for small cell lung cancer
(limited-stage and extensive-stage). As the stage of the cancer increases, the
prognosis becomes less optimistic. Additional staging tests include:
64-slice Computed Tomography (CT/CAT scan)
An X-ray procedure that produces detailed cross-sectional images of the body,
providing information about the size, shape and position of the tumor or
enlarged lymph nodes. Aurora BayCare’s 64-slice CT scanners offer greater speed
and more precise image detail.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
MRI uses a strong magnetic field and radio frequency waves to provide a clear
picture of the body’s soft tissues. MRI can also detect tumors that have spread
(metastasized) to the brain or spine and identify suspicious areas that other
imaging techniques can’t.
Bone Scan
A radionucleotide bone scan helps show if cancer has spread to bone. A small
amount of radioactive substance is injected into a vein and spreads throughout
the body. It collects in areas of abnormal bone growth, which is recorded on
X-ray film.
PET Scan
A procedure in which a small amount of radionucleotide glucose is injected into
a vein. The PET scanner rotates around the body and makes a picture of where
glucose is being used in the body. Cancer cells show up brighter in the picture
because they are more active and take up more glucose than normal cells do.
Mediastinoscopy
A surgical procedure that can help to show whether cancer has spread to lymph
nodes in the chest. Using a lighted viewing instrument called a scope, the
doctor examines the center of the chest (mediastinum) and nearby lymph nodes.
This is done through a small incision at the base of the neck. The scope may be
used to remove tissue samples.
Bone Marrow Biopsy
To stage small cell lung cancer, a needle may be inserted into the hipbone or
breastbone to extract a small piece of bone and bone marrow for analysis.
Lymph Node Biopsy
All or part of a lymph node may be removed for analysis by inserting a needle
through the skin or a small incision. There are several types of biopsy:
- Excisional biopsy: removal of entire lymph node
- Incisional biopsy: removal of part of a lymph node
- Core biopsy: Removal of part of a lymph node using a wide needle
- Needle biopsy: Removal of part of a lymph node using a thin needle. Also
called fine-needle aspiration.
Lung cancer: treatments
Traditional surgery
Often the most effective way to deal with lung cancer, particularly non-small
cell lung cancer, is to remove tumors surgically. The type of surgery a doctor
performs depends on the location of the tumor in the lung. An operation to
remove only a small part of the lung is called a segmental or wedge resection.
When the surgeon removes an entire lobe of the lung, the procedure is called a
lobectomy. Pneumonectomy is the removal of an entire lung.
Some tumors are inoperable (cannot be removed by surgery) because of the size
or location, and some patients cannot have surgery for other medical reasons.
Usually surgery is combined with chemotherapy, radiation therapy or both.
Traditional lung cancer surgery involves an open incision and removal of all or
part of the diseased lung. Open-incision surgery has long been the first line of
treatment. It is sometimes considered the best treatment option, but has more
risks and disadvantages than less-invasive video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery.
Video-Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery (VATS)
This is a minimally invasive surgery using a “scope” to access the cancer.
Instead of a single longer incision, VATS involves just 3 small incisions, a
tiny video camera and special instruments. Pain, hospital stay, blood loss,
recovery and risk of complications are significantly less than traditional
surgery. Hospital stays are shortened by up to 60%. Most surgical patients are
eligible for VATS, and short-term results have found that cancer control is
equal to traditional lung cancer surgery.
X-Knife
Breakthroughs in imaging and robotics technology have been combined in the
revolutionary new X-Knife radiosurgery system available to cancer patients at
Aurora BayCare Medical Center. X-Knife technology involves no cuts or incisions
whatsoever. It destroys diseased tissue by precisely focusing multiple beams of
high-energy radiation on the tumor site. It is specifically designed for
treating the most complex and difficult tumors – cancers of the lung, spine,
pancreas or brain.
Radiation Therapy
Traditional radiation therapy for lung cancer involves using a computer to
direct beams of radiation from a machine outside the body to treat the tumor
site and destroy cancer cells or prevent them from growing. Some healthy tissue
is also destroyed in the process. It is sometimes used with surgery or
chemotherapy, or may be used to relieve symptoms such as shortness of breath.
Possible side effects include skin irritation, nausea, hair loss and fatigue. A
radiation oncologist prescribes the most effective treatment for the patient.
Radiation therapists administer this individualized plan in a nurturing and
attentive atmosphere.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy uses chemicals to kill cancer cells or keep them from growing.
Chemotherapy may be delivered by pill, injection or IV catheter. It is sometimes
used with surgery or radiation therapy. Chemotherapy is typically used to
destroy cancer cells that have migrated beyond the original site. Some
treatments may be given before surgery and some may continue for several months
after surgery.
Our physicians
For more information, call the Vince Lombardi Cancer Clinic Hotline at
800-252-2990.
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