New technology providing hope for lung cancer patients
According to the Centers for Disease Control, more people in the United States die from lung cancer than any other type of cancer. 1 One possible reason why lung cancer is so deadly? The National Cancer Institute estimates that 53% of all lung cancers have metastasized by the time a doctor diagnoses the condition, which is detrimental to early intervention. Early diagnosis of cancer staging, then moving rapidly into treatment, can be life saving for lung cancer patients.
Fortunately for SSM Health patients in Oklahoma, St. Louis and Wisconsin, a new technology is making early diagnosis easier. An Ion robotic bronchoscopy is being utilized in all three regions, and a related low-dose CT is available at all SSM Health locations.
Ion Platform CT and scanning technology specializes in finding and performing biopsies on small, difficult-to-reach nodules in the outermost portions of the lungs, where more than 70% of cancerous lung nodules may be located. Staging of lung cancer can be performed simultaneously. This reduces the time to begin treatment and also reduces the number of procedures for the patient. The results provide the doctor with a more confident diagnosis and cancer staging all in one patient visit.
“Prior to SSM Health St. Anthony Hospital (in Oklahoma City) obtaining the Ion Platform screening technology, a patient in the greater metropolitan region would be required to see their pulmonologist, then in a separate visit have a CT scan, then in yet another separate visit, a biopsy was performed outside the chest using a needle, followed by an additional procedure for cancer staging, and then referred to the cancer doctor. This process could take months,” explained Samid Farooqui, MD, a pulmonologist who sees patients at SSM Health Medical Group clinics in Oklahoma City as well as two rural locations.
He is confident the new technology will positively affect lung cancer’s statistics and provide patients in Oklahoma and elsewhere in SSM Health health ministries with thorough and accelerated care.
“It’s difficult for Oklahomans, especially in rural communities, to get early diagnosis they need for life-saving treatments,” he explained. “With this new technology, we anticipate that patients can be diagnosed quickly and cured by surgery, then be cancer-free before an incurable spread. For patients who need it, this can add quality years to their life. This is becoming the standard of practice across the country for this procedure.”
According to the American Cancer Society, the most common symptoms of lung cancer are:2
- A cough that does not go away or gets worse
- Coughing up blood or rust-colored sputum (spit or phlegm)
- Chest pain that is often worse with deep breathing, coughing, or laughing
- Hoarseness
- Loss of appetite
- Unexplained weight loss
- Shortness of breath
- Feeling tired or weak
- Infections such as bronchitis and pneumonia that don’t go away or keep coming back
- New onset of wheezing
Concerned about your lung cancer risks/symptoms? Find an SSM Health physician today.
- Lung Cancer Awareness. (n.d.). Cancer. https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/features/lung-cancer.html#:~:text=Lung%20cancer%20is%20the%20leading,people%20die%20from%20this%20disease.
- Lung cancer signs & symptoms. (n.d.). American Cancer Society. https://www.cancer.org/cancer/types/lung-cancer/detection-diagnosis-staging/signs-symptoms.html
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