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Lung Cancer Center at
Monmouth Supports Findings of Breakthrough Study:
Annual CT Scans Could Save Lives of Longtime Smokers
LONG BRANCH, NJ, November 9, 2006 —
If you are a longtime smoker, an annual CT chest scan
may soon be what the doctor will order.
An 11-year international study published
last month in The New England Journal of Medicine offers
the strongest evidence to date that screening smokers
through computed tomography (CT) may significantly boost
their survival rates from lung cancer — the nation’s
leading cause of cancer death.
The study found that individuals with
a smoking history whose lung cancer was detected early
through a routine CT chest scan had a 10-year survival
rate of up to 92 percent, compared to a 5 percent survival
rate when the disease has spread beyond the lungs.
“Much like how an annual mammogram
is a proven early detection tool for breast cancer in
women, the CT scan may soon be applied in the same way
to saving the lives of smokers or others at high risk
from lung cancer,” says Lourens Willekes II, M.D.,
medical director of the Lung Cancer Center at Monmouth
Medical Center. “This study offers promise to thousands
of smokers who can benefit from an annual CT chest scan
as a screening tool.”
Dr. Willekes explains that a noncontrast
CT scan is a highly detailed imaging study that “gives
us extraordinary information about the anatomy of the
lungs and any abnormalities, including things that don’t
necessarily appear in a chest X-ray.”
The release of this National Institutes
of Health-supported study came less than a week before
the start of National Lung Cancer Awareness Month.
Lung cancer has an undeniable distinction:
It’s the No. 1 cancer killer in the United States,
claiming an estimated 163,000 American lives in 2006.
That represents more deaths among men and women than the
next three most common cancers combined: colon, breast
and prostate.
And there is one indisputable cause
of nearly 90 percent of lung cancer deaths: Smoking tobacco,
making it a highly preventable form of the disease.
In marking the national monthlong observance,
the Leon Hess Cancer Center at Monmouth Medical Center
is placing the spotlight on fighting a disease that is
diagnosed each year in nearly 175,000 Americans and currently
affects more than 352,000 individuals.
“Many times, the symptoms of
lung cancer do not appear until the disease is in an advanced
stage, hindering the early detection of the disease when
it is most treatable,” explains Dr. Willekes. Those
symptoms may include a persistent cough that worsens over
time, chest pain, shortness of breath, wheezing or hoarseness,
coughing up blood, unexplained fever, and experiencing
repeated bouts of pneunomia or bronchitis.
“Even though these symptoms may
indicate a less serious illness, they could be the first
sign of lung cancer, and it’s important that you
seek medical attention early,” he adds.
Offering an Advanced Array of State-of-the-Art
Services
With the recent establishment of the Lung Cancer Center
at the Leon Hess Cancer Center, Monmouth Medical Center
brings to Monmouth and Ocean counties the only facility
of its kind dedicated to the early detection, diagnosis
and treatment of lung cancer.
It offers the most advanced array of
services in one centralized location, led by a multidisciplinary
team of medical professionals that evaluates patients
who have been diagnosed with lung cancer and those who
have symptoms that may indicate they have the disease.
“Individuals with symptoms that
are causing them concern or have been recently diagnosed
with lung cancer or an abnormal chest X-ray are encouraged
to undergo an evaluation at the Lung Cancer Center,”
Dr. Willekes says. “If cancer is detected, all team
members are involved in the development of an individualized
treatment plan for each patient— a process that
is accomplished in a timely manner after the patient’s
initial visit. The plan then is thoroughly explained and
discussed with the patient, family members and referring
physicians.”
“The real advantage of how we
treat patients with lung cancer here is really in the
details,” Dr. Willekes says. “We have a talented,
dedicated group of people that works closely together
in a multidisciplinary fashion to optimize patient care
and outcomes. Radiation oncology, medical oncology, radiology,
pathology — these departments, in particular, are
exceptionally strong and devoted to precise care of the
lung cancer patient. In general, you only get one chance
to approach lung cancer, and this has to be done in the
right way.”
Depending on the type, size and location
of the cancer, as well as a patient’s age and overall
health, treatment usually involves surgery, chemotherapy,
radiation oncology or a combination of any of the three
therapies.
“The goal of surgical oncology
for many forms of thoracic cancer is to remove the affected
area of the lung to achieve the best possible outcomes
to preserve the maximum level of function,” explains
Dr. Willekes.
At Monmouth Medical Center, the board-certified
thoracic surgeon is highly skilled in performing sophisticated
minimally invasive techniques to diagnose and treat problems
in the chest. Most recently, he began to apply robotic
surgery — the latest breakthrough in small-incision
surgery for complex procedures — to lung cancer
treatment.
Monmouth is the first and only hospital
in the region to introduce the da Vinci S Surgical System,
which combines computer and robotic technologies with
the skills of the surgeon. As a result, robotic-assisted
operations are performed with greater precision, dexterity
and control than is generally achieved through large-incision,
open and traditional laparoscopic surgery. For many patients,
this means fewer complications, a shorter hospital stay,
reduced recovery time and better clinical results.
For more information about the Lung
Cancer Center at Monmouth Medical Center or to schedule
an appointment with a physician, call 732-870-6060.
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