Lung Cancer Screening

The symptoms of lung cancer are not dramatic. Most are similar to a chest cold or a mild flu. Do you have a persistent cough that won’t go away? Are you short of breath? Do you suffer from frequent lung infections or cough up blood? If you feel unusually fatigued, or lose weight without changing your eating habits, consult Pulmonary & Sleep of Tampa Bay.

Our Tampa Bay area facility offers lung cancer screenings to both physician-referred and self-referred patients. Pulmonary & Sleep of Tampa Bay provides early detection of lung cancer with non-invasive tests. Our lung cancer diagnostic experts will put your mind at ease or, if necessary, tailor the right treatment for any signs of cancer you may have, and begin treatment as early as possible.

Common Questions

How do you screen for lung cancer?

You start off by having a low dose CT scan done and going over the results with your Physician. You may then consider a Veran or superDimension Electromagnetic Navigation Bronchoscopy to provide you with the most advanced and complete lung navigation system to detect and diagnose early-stage lung cancer without the use of high-risk procedures.

An Endobronchial Ultrasound is a procedure that offers doctors more information about the patient’s lung cancer. Ultimately, this helps this doctor determine the level or stage of lung cancer, which allows them to recommend the best treatment.

What is the difference between lung cancer screening methods?

The National Cancer Institute conducted a National Lung Screening Trial in 2010 involving 53,000 randomized, current and former heavy smokers aged 55 to 74. The trial compared the effects of two screening methods for lung cancer on lung cancer mortality: low-dose helical CT (also known as spiral CT) and standard chest X-ray. The results showed 20 percent fewer lung cancer deaths among the participants who were screened with low-dose helical CT.

What are lung nodules?

Lung nodules are round or oval-shaped spot in your lungs that are typically discovered with an x-ray or CT scan. While most lung nodules are benign (non-cancerous), they should be examined and tested for cancer. You can use the link to calculate your Solitary Pulmonary Nodule Malignancy Risk (please use link below).

http://reference.medscape.com/calculator/solitary-pulmonary-nodule-risk

Who is at risk of lung cancer?

Smokers:

• Current and former smokers who are over the age of 50 with a smoking history of at least a half pack to three packs a day for 25 to 55 years.

Non-smokers:

• People exposed to asbestos, radon, radiation, or agent orange which increases the risk for mesothelioma and doubles the risk of lung cancer in a smoker
• Those who’ve had significant exposure to secondhand smoke
• People exposed to cancer-causing agents. E.g.: a nuclear work environment, battlefield emissions, or herbicides
• Those with a first-degree relative who has had lung cancer, especially if contracted at a young age
• Those who have had a family member diagnosed with lung cancer

What are the symptoms of Lung Cancer?

Most are similar to a chest cold or mild flu.

• Persistent cough
• Short of breath
• Frequent lung infections or coughing up blood
• Fatigued
• Weight Loss
• Change in appetite

How do you treat for lung cancer?

Following the diagnosis, the specialists will evaluate and choose the most suitable treatment(s) for you depending on the stage and type of tumor, as well as your general health. Treatments can involve any combination of procedures, including:

• Surgery
• Radiation therapy
• Chemotherapy
• Targeted therapy

We look at three types of treatment options to select how to best control your lung cancer:

• Local: Cancer is only in chest cavity and can be controlled with surgery and/or radiation.
• Regional: Cancer has spread to lymph nodes within the chest. Radiation and chemotherapy are recommended here, with surgery at times.
• Systemic: Cancer has spread to other areas of the body outside the chest. Chemotherapy is the best treatment here. Radiation therapy also applies to control areas outside of the chest.

When is the Lung Screening Program available?

You can schedule an appointment for our Lung Screening Program Monday to Friday, at any of our locations.