In the Bluegrass, more than 10,000 people die from cancer each year, with lung cancer being one of the most common cancers in the state. Nationally, Kentucky has the highest rate of new lung cancer diagnoses in the nation with 84.8 people per 100,000 being diagnosed each year, a rate that is 1.55 times higher than the national average.
“Kentucky is leading the country in lung cancer incidence,” said Dr. Irene Li, radiation oncologist at Med Center Health. “A majority of this is due to smoking history, but not just cigarettes. It could be cigars; it could be vaping. Vaping is much more prevalent in the younger generations.”
Kentucky has the second highest rate of adult cigarette smokers in the U.S., and Kentucky has the highest rate of adults who vape every day with 6.5% of Kentuckians vaping daily and 4% saying they vape some days. If you have a history of smoking, vaping, or exposure to secondhand smoke, Med Center Health offers lung cancer screenings to help find cancer in the earliest stages.
If a scan does find a potential cancerous marker, Med Center Health offers the Lung Nodule Program to help get a patient on a fast-track to treatment.
“The Lung Nodule Program is designed to get patients seen very quickly with all appropriate physicians and ancillary support staff able to review scans together and create a plan of care for the patient in a very timely fashion,” said Dr. Li.
Med Center Health’s goal is to detect lung nodules at the earliest stages to either prevent serious issues before they occur or to treat concerns quickly by offering a variety of options tailored to a patient’s specific diagnosis. Our specialists are experts in their fields and have access to the latest treatment options and technologies, right here, close to home.
“When lung cancer is caught early, it is very much treatable and curable,” said Dr. Li. “When left untreated for too long, treatment is much more complicated and outcomes are much worse.”
Med Center Health’s Lung Nodule Program consists of a team of 11 providers, including pulmonologists, radiation oncologists, medical oncologists, and cardiothoracic surgeons. Together, this team of providers has more than 200 years of clinical experience in a wide variety of disciplines. Every Friday, this team meets together to view and discuss any patient who may need further examination.
Each week, the team reviews diagnostic imaging to assess the nodules and determine if they might need further testing. The group works with the patient’s primary care doctor to make arrangements for a visit to the Lung Nodule Clinic, meet with our specialists, and learn more about what types of care might be needed.
The best way to treat lung cancer is to find it early and to treat it quickly. With Med Center Health’s Lung Nodule Program and ION Bronchoscopy technology, patients now have an even better chance of surviving lung cancer.
To learn more about lung cancer screenings and Med Center Health’s Lung Nodule Program, visit: MedCenterHealth.org/Lung.
-submitted by Med Center Health
