Pulmonary Care

The criteria for LDCT screening are as follows:

• Age: Adults aged 50 to 80 years.
• Smoking History: A 20 pack-year smoking history (one pack-year is smoking an average of 20 cigarettes per day for one year).
• Current Smoking: Currently smoking or having quit within the past 15 years.
• Health Limitations: No serious health problems that will likely limit life expectancy or the ability to have lung surgery.

These criteria are based on the recommendations from the US Preventive Services Task Force and the American Cancer Society, which aim to reduce the risk of lung cancer and improve treatment outcomes.

Lung cancer may not cause any symptoms, especially in the early stages of the disease.
Therefore, it may first be detected on X-rays. CT scans or other tests are being done to check for another condition.

The following signs and symptoms of non-small cell and small cell lung cancer may also be caused by many other conditions and are not specific to lung cancer. Talk to your doctor if you have any of the following.

How can lung cancer affect breathing?

• The tumor can block off an airway and interfere with breathing. When an airway is blocked, mucus trapped in the lung may become infected, resulting in pneumonia. Lung cancer can also cause fluid to build up in the space between the lungs and the ribs, causing shortness of breath.

Coughing symptoms:

• A cough that gets worse or does not go away
• Coughing up blood

Chest symptoms:

• Breathing trouble, such as shortness of breath
• New wheezing when you breathe
• Ache or pain in your chest, upper back or shoulder that doesn't go away and may get worse with deep breathing
• A hoarse voice
• Frequent respiratory tract infections such as pneumonia or bronchitis

General physical symptoms:

• Feeling unusually tired all the time
• Weight loss with no known cause and loss of appetite
• Trouble swallowing
• Swelling in the face and or veins in the neck

Lung cancer that spreads may cause other symptoms, like pain in the back or other bones or weakness in the arms or legs. If it spreads to the brain, it may cause headaches, seizures, dizziness, memory problems or speech difficulties.

Small cell lung cancer patients may also present with unique symptoms because small cell lung cancer tumors secrete hormones. These symptoms are called paraneoplastic syndromes. An example of these is SIADH, a syndrome of inappropriate anti-diuretic hormone secretion, which can lead to low blood sodium levels because the body retains fluid.

Our specialty programs include medical, radiation and surgical oncology, as well as specialized programs for specific types of cancer. Patients in these programs may receive care from:

• Diagnostic radiologists
• Interventional radiologists
• Radiation oncologists
• Palliative care doctors
• Thoracic surgeons
• Pulmonary rehab
• Respiratory therapists
• Medical oncologists
• Pathologists
• Smoking cessation program

We offer additional services and technologies to evaluate and treat diagnoses, including:

• Fine needle aspiration
• Genomic testing
• lon robatic bronchoscopy
• Sputum cytology
• Thoracentesis
• Thoracotomy

Surgical Specialists
Our surgical specialists provide minimally invasive surgical services:

• Robotic-assisted thoracic surgery
• Video-assisted thoracic surgery or thoracoscopy
• Lobectomy
• Pneumonectomy
• Segmentectomy or wedge resection