WHAT IS IT

Lung cancer is a cancer that occurs in the lungs. There are two main types of lung cancer:

1. Non-small cell lung cancer: is the most common type of lung cancer. Some of the sub-types of non-small cell lung cancer are squamous cell carcinoma, adenocarcinoma, and large cell carcinoma. Each of these sub-types of non-small cell lung cancer begins in a different type of cell in the lungs. Each sub-type can grow and spread in different ways.

2. Small-cell lung cancer: is less common than non-small cell lung cancer. Some of the sub-types of small-cell lung cancer are small-cell carcinoma and combined small-cell carcinoma.

Most lung cancers are caused by smoking. Lung cancer is the number one cancer killer of men and women in the United States, responsible for 160,000 deaths each year. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death each year across the globe.

SYMPTOMS

There are generally no signs or symptoms of lung cancer until the disease has significantly progressed. In the advanced stages, you may experience:

• Chest pain

• Coughing up blood

• Difficulty breathing

• Hoarseness

• "Smoker's cough"

TREATMENTS

• Chemotherapy

• Immunotherapy

• Radiation therapy

• Tumor resection surgery

WHAT TO EXPECT

MAIN LINE HEALTH

Low-dose CT is a painless, non-invasive scan, which:

• Takes about 20 seconds

• Does not require blood work

• Does not require IV

• Is covered by most insurance plans

During the screening, you will change into a patient gown and lie flat on the scanning table. You will be asked to hold your breath during the scan to limit the motion of your lungs while the radiologist takes numerous X-ray images of your lungs from different angles.

A board-certified radiologist will interpret your low-dose CT scan and provide results within 24 hours of the screening. Your results will be sent to your ordering physician for follow-up care. “Negative” results mean there are no abnormal findings. Based on these results, you will be encouraged to repeat this test once a year for two more years. A “positive” or suspicious result means that there is an abnormal finding; further diagnostic testing may be required. Your lung health navigator will follow up with you and connect you with your ordering physician for further explanation and guidance.

BENEFITS OF GOING HERE

TEMPLE HEALTH

When you choose our Lung Cancer Program, you're choosing the combined expertise and resources of two of Philadelphia’s leading healthcare providers, Temple Health and Fox Chase Cancer Center. Fox Chase Cancer Center is one of only 49 U.S. hospitals designated as a Comprehensive Cancer Center by the National Cancer Institute, and Temple University Hospital is one of the region's top academic medical centers. Along with a team of cancer specialists dedicated to lung disease, you have access to state-of-the-art imaging, minimally invasive surgeries and innovative nonsurgical treatments on your side. And as part of an academic medical center, our program also gives you access to cutting-edge clinical trials.

JEFFERSON HEALTH

Jefferson Health's Lung Cancer Screening Program offers a unique one-day service based on state-of-the-art screening methods for lung cancer in high-risk patients. This effort – with support from Radiation Oncology, Medical Oncology, Thoracic Surgery and Radiology – is one of the first in the Delaware Valley in the hopes of detecting lung cancer sooner. Jefferson's Lung Nodule Clinic, one of the first in the Delaware Valley, is staffed and organized by a nurse coordinator and pulmonary medicine specialists with expertise to further evaluate lung nodules.