Lung cancer care at every step
Lung cancer
Whether you’ve been diagnosed with lung cancer, you’re worried about developing lung cancer or you’re trying to stay well after treatment, we’re here for you every step of the way.
What is lung cancer?
Your lungs are air-filled organs located on each side of the chest, responsible for supplying oxygen to your body. Besides helping you breathe and speak; your lungs act as filters to protect you from air bubbles or small blood clots. They can shelter your heart from damage or trauma, such as during a collision.
Lung cancer develops when the healthy, normal cells that line the lung gland begin to “go rogue” by growing and functioning in a different way. These cancerous cells can begin to build up and form a mass called a tumor, which exists as a lump inside your lung.
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Lung cancer risk factors
Risks for lung cancer include more than just smoking. Causes of lung cancer can vary from family history to environmental factors. You’re at greater risk if you:
- Have smoked: Most lung cancer is caused by tobacco use.
- Have been exposed to radon: Radon is an odorless gas found in some old homes or buildings. Exposure to radon is the leading cause of lung cancer for nonsmokers. Radon testing can tell you if there’s radon in your home.
- Breathed in dangerous materials such as arsenic, diesel exhaust or asbestos. People who work in manufacturing facilities, mining facilities or shipyards may be exposed to these substances.
- Have lung disease such as emphysema or COPD.
- Have a family history of lung cancer.
- Drank water containing arsenic.
- Had chest radiation.
- Breathed in air pollution or secondhand smoke.
Lung cancer screening
Just like you can have a colonoscopy or a mammogram, you can also be screened for lung cancer long before you have symptoms. If you meet the screening guidelines, a painless, low-dose CT scan makes an image of your lungs. The scan can detect the disease early — which increases your chances of successful treatment.
Consider a lung cancer screening if you:
- Are between 50 and 80
- Have a 20-pack-year history of smoking (Example: You smoked 1 pack a day for 20 years, or 2 packs a day for 10 years, or other variations. Your doctor can help you calculate your pack-year history.)
- Smoke now or quit smoking in the last 15 years
Diagnosing lung cancer
If a doctor thinks you may have lung cancer, you have access to the most advanced technology at Geisinger to assess your condition. Your doctor may perform diagnostic testing that includes:
- Imaging tests – These take detailed images of the inside of your lungs. Imaging tests can show possible tumors, monitor if a tumor has spread and check whether treatment is working. These tests may include computed tomography (CT) scan, MRI scan and endoscopic ultrasounds.
- Navigational bronchoscopy – During this procedure, a thin tube is inserted through the mouth or nose. This tube is fitted with a camera to take pictures of hard-to-reach parts of the airway and lungs.
- Biopsy – During a biopsy, a lung specialist takes a small sample of lung tissue with a thin needle or a surgical procedure. They examine the tissue under a microscope to look for cancerous (malignant) cells
Types of lung cancer
There are several types of lung cancer, and they all have different treatment plans. Each type is named for how the cancerous cells look under a microscope.
- Small cell carcinoma is found in 10 to 15% of all lung cancer cases. It’s commonly treated with chemotherapy and radiation.
- Non-small cell lung cancer is the most common type. It’s less aggressive, growing and spreading more slowly. This type of lung cancer falls into 3 main groups:
- Large cell lung cancer can occur anywhere in the lungs.
- Adenocarcinoma grows slowly in the tissues outside the lungs.
- Squamous cell carcinoma grows inside the airways in your lungs. Often, signs of squamous cell lung cancer appear sooner than with other lung cancers.
- Mixed lung cancer is rare and can be a mix of non-small and small cell carcinomas.
Mesothelioma
Mesothelioma isn’t technically lung cancer, but it is a type of cancer caused by exposure to asbestos. It forms in the lining of the lungs, while lung cancer forms in the lungs themselves.
Lung cancer treatment
At Geisinger, our highly trained team of lung cancer specialists includes surgeons, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, pathologists, radiologists, nurse navigators and support staff who come together to develop a personalized treatment plan around you.
Depending on the type, location and stage of your lung cancer, one or more of the following treatments may be recommended.
Surgery is a common method of treating lung cancer. Our surgeons use the latest techniques to treat cancer of the lungs, including minimally invasive surgery, to offer you the best outcomes and path for healing.
Our surgeons are highly trained and board certified, which means they have passed an optional national exam to demonstrate their medical expertise. Many of our surgeons also have specialized training in specific types of cancer surgery.
Chemotherapy is a drug-based treatment designed to slow the growth of or shrink tumors. Chemotherapy drugs can be given through an IV or taken in a pill form.
The timing of your chemotherapy may be given:
- Before your surgery, to try to reduce the size of the tumor
- After your surgery, to destroy any cancer that still remains in the area and lower the chance of the cancer coming back
- Along with radiation therapy, which together are known as chemoradiation or chemoradiotherapy
At Geisinger, our team includes doctors called medical oncologists who specialize in chemotherapy. You’ll also have access to clinical trials that include testing new chemotherapy drugs and combinations of medications that aren’t widely available.
Keeping you comfortable while you have treatment is important to us. Our state-of-the-art clinics — many recently renovated — offer heated seats and individual TVs to help you relax during treatment.
Radiation oncology uses radiation to control or destroy harmful cancer cells with tools to treat each unique cancer.
Our board-certified cancer doctors and highly skilled clinical team deliver conventional radiotherapy treatments that include:
- External beam radiation, which uses special technology to send X-ray radiation (photons) to the tumor from outside the body
- Internal radiation (brachytherapy), which targets the tumor using safe levels of radiation inside the body through radioactive tubes or radioactive seeds
- Intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), which uses a 3D image of the tumor to deliver high-precision radiotherapy that fits its exact outline
- Volumetric-modulated arc therapy (VMAT), which uses 360 degrees of freedom provided by modulating the radiation beam as the machine spins around the patient
- Respiratory motion management and gated beam delivery, a system that uses lasers and advanced software to track motion of tumor and guide the delivery of radiation as a patient breathes
- Image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT), which is used to localize the radiation beam daily and enhance accuracy of radiation delivery to the tumor
- Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT), which uses precise conformal beams of radiation to focus high doses of radiation to just the tumor, with very little damage to surrounding healthy tissues
CyberKnife® robotic radiosurgery is a non-invasive treatment for tumors that are hard to reach or inoperable. This robotic therapy targets complex tumors — including cancerous and non-cancerous tumors — by delivering high doses of targeted radiation safely, anywhere in the body. And it’s offered at the Frank M. and Dorothea Henry Cancer Center at Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center in Wilkes-Barre.
No incisions involved. So you have quicker treatments, less pain and faster recovery. Learn more about CyberKnife.