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LONG BRANCH, NJ, November 9, 2006— If you are a longtime
smoker, an annual CT chest scan may soon be what the doctor will
order.
An 11-year international study published last month
in The New England Journal of Medicine offers the strongest
evidence to date that screening smokers through computed tomography
(CT) may significantly boost their survival rates from lung cancer — the
nation’s leading cause of cancer death.
The study found that individuals with a smoking history
whose lung cancer was detected early through a routine CT chest
scan had a 10-year survival rate of up to 92 percent, compared
to a 5 percent survival rate when the disease has spread beyond
the lungs.
“Much like how an annual mammogram is a proven
early detection tool for breast cancer in women, the CT scan may
soon be applied in the same way to saving the lives of smokers
or others at high risk from lung cancer,” says Lourens
Willekes II, M.D., medical director of the Lung
Cancer Center at Monmouth Medical Center. “This study
offers promise to thousands of smokers who can benefit from an
annual CT chest scan as a screening tool.”
Dr. Willekes explains that a non-contrast CT scan
is a highly detailed imaging study that “gives us extraordinary
information about the anatomy of the lungs and any abnormalities,
including things that don’t necessarily appear in a chest
X-ray.”
The release of this National Institutes of Health-supported
study came less than a week before the start of National Lung Cancer
Awareness Month.
Lung cancer has an undeniable distinction: It’s
the No. 1 cancer killer in the United States, claiming an estimated
163,000 American lives in 2006. That represents more deaths among
men and women than the next three most common cancers combined:
colon, breast and prostate.
And there is one indisputable cause of nearly 90
percent of lung cancer deaths: Smoking tobacco, making it a highly
preventable form of the disease.
In marking the national month long observance, the
Leon Hess Cancer Center at Monmouth Medical Center is placing the
spotlight on fighting a disease that is diagnosed each year in
nearly 175,000 Americans and currently affects more than 352,000
individuals.
“Many times, the symptoms of lung cancer do
not appear until the disease is in an advanced stage, hindering
the early detection of the disease when it is most treatable,” explains
Dr. Willekes. Those symptoms may include a persistent cough that
worsens over time, chest pain, shortness of breath, wheezing or
hoarseness, coughing up blood, unexplained fever, and experiencing
repeated bouts of pneumonia or bronchitis.
“Even though these symptoms may indicate a
less serious illness, they could be the first sign of lung cancer,
and it’s important that you seek medical attention early,” he
adds.
With the recent establishment of the Lung Cancer
Center at the Leon Hess Cancer Center, Monmouth Medical Center
brings to Monmouth and Ocean counties the only facility of its
kind dedicated to the early detection, diagnosis and treatment
of lung cancer.
It offers the most advanced array of services in
one centralized location, led by a multidisciplinary team of medical
professionals that evaluates patients who have been diagnosed with
lung cancer and those who have symptoms that may indicate they
have the disease.
“Individuals with symptoms that are causing
them concern or have been recently diagnosed with lung cancer or
an abnormal chest X-ray are encouraged to undergo an evaluation
at the Lung Cancer Center,” Dr. Willekes says. “If
cancer is detected, all team members are involved in the development
of an individualized treatment plan for each patient— a process
that is accomplished in a timely manner after the patient’s
initial visit. The plan then is thoroughly explained and discussed
with the patient, family members and referring physicians.”
“The real advantage of how we treat patients
with lung cancer here is really in the details,” Dr. Willekes
says. “We have a talented, dedicated group of people that
works closely together in a multidisciplinary fashion to optimize
patient care and outcomes. Radiation oncology, medical oncology,
radiology, pathology — these departments, in particular,
are exceptionally strong and devoted to precise care of the lung
cancer patient. In general, you only get one chance to approach
lung cancer, and this has to be done in the right way.”
Depending on the type, size and location of the cancer,
as well as a patient’s age and overall health, treatment
usually involves surgery, chemotherapy, radiation oncology or a
combination of any of the three therapies.
“The goal of surgical oncology for many forms
of thoracic cancer is to remove the affected area of the lung to
achieve the best possible outcomes to preserve the maximum level
of function,” explains Dr. Willekes.
At Monmouth Medical Center, the board-certified thoracic
surgeon is highly skilled in performing sophisticated minimally
invasive techniques to diagnose and treat problems in the chest.
Most recently, he began to apply robotic surgery — the latest
breakthrough in small-incision surgery for complex procedures — to
lung cancer treatment.
Monmouth is the first and only hospital in the region
to introduce the da Vinci S Surgical System, which combines computer
and robotic technologies with the skills of the surgeon. As a result,
robotic-assisted operations are performed with greater precision,
dexterity and control than is generally achieved through large-incision,
open and traditional laparoscopic surgery. For many patients, this
means fewer complications, a shorter hospital stay, reduced recovery
time and better clinical results.
For more information about the Lung Cancer Center
at Monmouth Medical Center or to schedule an appointment with a
physician, call 732-870-6060.
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