Lung Care
Diagnosing & Treating Lung Cancer Early
Have you been a smoker most of your life? Do you have a family history of lung cancer? Do you suffer from COPD or other lung issues?
If you said yes to any of these, have you ever wondered if you could possibly have lung cancer but have been afraid to find out?
Don’t hesitate learning more about lung screening because at Halifax Health, our thoracic and pulmonary experts are equipped with breakthrough diagnostic technology to detect lung cancer in its earliest stage as well as treat it. Why is it so important to detect lung cancer early? Because clinical studies have shown that when lung cancer is detected and treated in stage 1, the ten-year survival rate may be as high as 92 % vs. 15 % in late stage.*
And don’t wait for symptoms to occur, because symptoms are often an indicator of lung cancer in the late stages of the disease. This makes the treatment more problematic and reduces the overall survival rate.
*David S. Ettinger, et al. Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer (2010)
How to Detect Lung Cancer Early
At Halifax Health, we have developed a streamlined process to detect lung cancer in its earliest stage. We provide everything our patient needs, from screening to diagnosis, to walking our patients through the treatment process if a cancer diagnosis occurs, and recovery.
A Three Step Process:
Lung Screening
The first step is getting a lung screening to identify any suspicious lesions or spots in or around your lungs. We offer a low-cost, life-saving lung cancer screening option for $125.
Rapid Diagnostic Testing
After the lung screening, your results are sent to the ordering physician. From there, your physician will review the results and determine if further diagnosis is required. If a spot is discovered in the results, the next step would be to get a biopsy. Halifax Health is the first hospital in the area to offer the latest lung cancer diagnostic technology that allows our pulmonary experts to biopsy a spot in the area of the lung that the traditional diagnostic solution cannot reach.
Comprehensive Treatment Options
If the biopsy comes back as cancerous, you will consult with the pulmonologist as well as receive support from our lung patient navigator. The lung patient navigator is a registered nurse who will walk you through your treatment options seamlessly. Most treatments are performed by a thoracic surgeon through the UF Health Heart and Vascular Surgery at Halifax Health or through a radiation or medical oncologist at Halifax Health – Center for Oncology.
Recovery
After treatment occurs, pulmonary rehabilitation is available to enhance your recovery. Halifax Health will stay with you through the entire process to ensure your outcome is a positive one.