Screenings, Life-Saving Technology Key to Finding Lung Cancer Sooner

Almost half the diagnosed cases of lung cancer in America are considered “distant stage” where the cancer has spread to other organs. Eight percent of those patients have a survival rate of five years, according to the American Lung Association.

As a board-certified pulmonologist, the most critical factor for a successful outcome for my patients is detecting a cancerous nodule in the lungs as early as possible. As we recognize World Lung Cancer Day on August 1, please consider getting screened or talking to your primary care provider about your options.

Because safe, quality care that delivers the best outcomes for patients is a foundation at Beebe, it has invested in the Ion Endoluminal System for robot-assisted bronchoscopies that allows us to find lung cancer even sooner. I was proud to be the first pulmonologist in Delaware to use this technology in April that I believe will truly make a difference in patient outcomes. By using the Ion’s ultra-thin scope and GPS system to find and collect a biopsy sample from lesions that are smaller and deeper in the lungs, we can detect cancerous tumors before they ever reach the “distant stage.”

In one case, there was concern that a patient may have lung cancer based on the initial imaging. By utilizing the Ion, we were able to biopsy the nodule, which ended up being benign due to a case of COVID-19. No one wants to hear they have cancer or may have cancer, but this patient was able to find out sooner that she was in fact cancer free.

Knowing Your Risks: Get Screened
Even with the great technological advances that Beebe has invested in for the people of Sussex County, patients still need to know their risks and how to get their lungs screened.

In Delaware, the smoking rate is 13.4%, and out of all the high-risk patients, only 6.3% were screened. This ranks above the national average but we want to do even more screenings to possibly save lives. The latest guidelines suggest those who are between the ages of 50-80 and have either smoked one pack a day for 20 years, or two packs a day for 10 years meet the definition of high risk. If you meet those criteria, you should talk to your primary care provider about a possible referral for a low dose CT scan (low dose computerized tomography), which allows high risk patients to be screened before symptoms begin.

Beebe has locations in Lewes, Georgetown, and Millville that offer this service that is typically covered by most insurance plans and Medicare and Medicaid plans. If you don’t have a primary care provider, call 302-645-3332 to get started with a Beebe provider near you.

A Multidisciplinary Approach to Best Care
Screening is the most critical step in proactively preventing lung cancer. If your CT scan shows a nodule, it is typically reviewed by Beebe’s Pulmonary Nodule Clinic. Led by board-certified thoracic surgeon Marisa Amaral, MD, this multidisciplinary team of clinical experts specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer and play an instrumental role in developing the best care plan for the patient – from robot-assisted navigational bronchoscopy to lung surgery and oncologic services.

The traditional pathway to care for patients diagnosed with lung cancer requires many steps to get from the point of finding a nodule to the point of intervention and treatment. Beebe’s use of this technology and multidisciplinary approach offers a linear pathway to streamlined care that makes it possible for us to detect and treat cancer sooner.

Victor Banzon, MD, went to medical school at St. George’s University School of Medicine in Grenada, and received his internal medicine training at Georgetown University, Washington, D.C. He completed his fellowship training in pulmonary and critical care at Maine Medical Center. He sees patients at Beebe Pulmonary and in-hospital at Beebe Healthcare's Margaret H. Rollins Lewes Campus.