Kentucky has the highest rate of new lung cancer diagnoses in the nation - a rate that is over one-and-a half times higher than the national average. “Kentucky is leading the country in lung cancer incidence,” said Dr. Irene Li, radiation oncologist at Med Center Health.
For individuals with a history of smoking, vaping, or exposure to secondhand smoke, Med Center Health offers low-dose CT lung cancer screenings to help detect cancer in its earliest stages when a patient’s survival rate is the highest.
Low dose CTs can detect potentially cancerous nodules in the lung. When this occurs, Med Center Health’s Lung Nodule Program fast-tracks patients to diagnosis and treatment.
“The Lung Nodule Program is designed to get patients seen very quickly with all appropriate physicians and ancillary support staff able to review scans together and create a plan of care for the patient,” said Li. At Med Center Health, our goal is to identify lung cancer while it is still in stage 1, when successful treatment has a 90% survival rate.
Med Center Health’s Lung Nodule Program consists of pulmonologists, radiation and medical oncologists, and cardiothoracic surgeons. Med Center Health uses ION Bronchoscopy, a robotic scope that is new technology representing a real “game changer” in the fight against lung cancer. ION Bronchoscopy, which enables the physician to access and biopsy hard-to-reach areas of the lungs, and the DaVinci Robotic surgical system, provide patients with the most advanced options possible for detecting and removing tumors within the lungs.
“Combining our multi-physician team with advanced technology enables Med Center Health to provide the region’s most comprehensive lung cancer care”, said Dr. Lee Warren, cardiothoracic surgeon at Med Center Health.
To learn more, visit: MedCenterHealth.org/Lung
