Tuesday, September 13, 2011
As with many cancers, those who are diagnosed early with lung cancer have the best chance of survival. Unfortunately, because of vague, often-misdiagnosed symptoms, 85 percent of lung cancers are not detected until it is too late to be cured. To help facilitate earlier diagnoses and better patient outcomes, Presbyterian Healthcare launched the Lung Nodule Evaluation Program, which is designed to ensure lung nodules found incidentally on CT scans are evaluated and tracked appropriately, with any cancer diagnosis receiving an immediate referral to the lung specialists at Presbyterian Cancer Center.
A collaboration of Presbyterian Healthcare Radiology Services, Presbyterian Pulmonary & Critical Care and Presbyterian Cancer Center, the Lung Nodule Evaluation Program has several steps in place to ensure that all patients with incidental findings are followed. The nurse practitioner reviews all chest CT reports, and results are reported to the patient’s primary care physician and the physician who requested the CT scan. Based on the size of the nodule and the patient’s risk level, the nurse practitioner works with the patient to explain the concern and determine the next best steps, which may include an appointment with a pulmonologist to discuss family history and risk factors. For benign nodules, the Lung Nodule Evaluation Program continues to monitor the patient to ensure that the nodule doesn’t grow or turn into a health concern. For cancerous nodules, Presbyterian‘s Multidisciplinary Thoracic Oncology Program sees the patient through all stages of treatment.
“While the majority of these nodules will be benign and pose no risk to the patient’s health, it is important that we monitor everyone. If we can catch lung cancer earlier in even just one person, it will be worth it,” said Stuart Garner, MD, interventional pulmonologist with Presbyterian Pulmonary & Critical Care and one of the physician leads of this program.
For more information, including details about who is a candidate or how to refer a patient, visit www.presbyterian.org/lungnodule or call the Lung Nodule Evaluation Program nurse practitioner at 704-384-9956.
