Lung Cancer
Lung cancer is the second most common cancer in both men and women. At Dignity Health – Cancer Institute at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center, our specialists focus on a multidisciplinary approach that will make you confident that you are receiving the best possible care.
Lung Cancer at a Glance
Lung cancer is the second-most commonly diagnosed cancer in the U.S. among men and women, according to the American Cancer Society. Though smoking rates are down in this country, lung cancer continues to occur in significant numbers: more than 221,000 Americans are expected to be diagnosed with the disease this year.
Steps to Diagnosis
Prevention
-
Symptoms
Lung cancer symptoms tend to be localized in the lungs, from shortness of breath or wheezing to coughing up blood or mucus. But other symptoms, like chest pain, persistent fever, or unintentional weight loss can also be signs of lung cancer. With the help of lung cancer screening available at Dignity Health – Cancer Institute at St. Joseph’s, we can help you catch lung cancer early. That’s important because about 25% of lung cancer patients are exhibiting no symptoms at the time of diagnosis.
-
Steps to Diagnosis
Once your primary care physician identifies the potential cause of your symptoms, they may refer you to a pulmonary specialist or pulmonologist. Suspected lung and thoracic cancer may be referred to a medical oncologist. We’ll take a multidisciplinary approach that considers your care from every angle.
-
Common Concerns
Lung cancer is the second most frequently diagnosed cancer among Arizonans. So regardless of size, location or stage. Especially with a multidisciplinary care team that puts you at the center of care.
-
Prevention
The vast majority of lung and thoracic cancers have a single cause: smoking. There are other potential causes, such as environmental conditions and genetic traits, but limiting or eliminating exposure to tobacco through personal use or second-hand smoke is the best way to prevent lung cancer.
Treatment
Your care team will carefully consider and discuss treatment options that are right for you, based on the type of malignancy, genetic profile, patient lifestyle, and individual resources.
An intravenous and/or oral medication that attacks and kills cancer cells in the body.
Intravenous medication that stimulates your immune system, by helping it recognize and destroy cancer cells.
A variety of procedures may remove the lung tumor and the nearby lymph nodes in the chest.
High-powered energy beams, such as X-rays, are used to kill cancer cells directly.
Therapy focused on blocking the growth and spread of cancer cells by targeting the specific genes, proteins, or tissue affected by cancer.
Our Approach
Our unique point of view allows us to take a step back and consider the best possible approach for you. We start by getting a complete picture of you, your genetic makeup, your risk factors, and the complex intricacies of what makes you a human being.
Our interdisciplinary team considers the right care plan from multiple perspectives, often consulting with our internal network of experts to gather up-to-the-moment insight on treatment options.
Then, your course of treatment will be designed to suit your exact medical needs, using precision medicine to do the most good while remaining minimally invasive. That means we’re focused not just on eradicating the disease, but on preserving your quality of life before, during, and after treatment.
We are here to help you heal as a whole person. Wherever your care path leads, you can be sure our entire team will be there with you every step of the way.
Patient Testimonial
Continuing Support
Wherever your individual care plan takes you, we’ll work closely with you to understand your preferences, and your needs – and be sure any additional support is ready when you need it, including:
- Dietary or nutrition advisors, providing special focus and attention for chemo patients
- Genetic counselors to help you understand your risk factors
- Social workers dedicated to easing your emotional burdens and helping with community benefits
- Financial counselors to help you understand the financial aspect and work with you to reduce the burden when possible
- Specialty pharmacy liaisons who help authorize your prescriptions and educate you on managing side effects and taking your medicine properly
- Nurse navigators to help guide you throughout the cancer institute, every step of the way
- Physical and rehabilitation therapists who provide integrated care alongside your primary care plan
Frequently Asked Questions on Lung Health
Dignity Health offers the most advanced procedures in colorectal cancer surgery. Our team of oncology experts are sensitive to your urgent needs and have compassion and humankindness. Our specialists work side-by-side to carefully review complex cases and develop personalized treatment plans.
Our skilled surgeons use minimally invasive surgical procedures to reduce risk and optimize outcomes. We invest in advanced imaging technologies and radiation therapies to target tumors with greater precision.
You should choose Dignity Health because we’ve built a reputation for innovative therapies and surgical techniques that minimize the need for temporary or permanent colostomies. Our holistic approach is evident in services designed to treat the whole person—mind, body, and spirit.
The Breast Cancer Program at Dignity Health – Cancer Institute at St. Joseph’s is dedicated to the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer. The average risk for breast cancer in a woman’s lifetime up to age 90 is approximately 12 percent. Risk increases with age, but according to the National Cancer Institute, even at age 70, the typical woman’s risk is less than 4 percent, which means she has slightly more than a 96 percent chance of not being diagnosed with breast cancer by age 70.
The risk is there for every woman as she ages, and doctors agree that vigilance is the key to catching breast cancer and treating it with the best chance of curing it and ensuring survival. Approximately 95 percent of breast cancer patients whose cancer is caught in an early stage survive beyond five years. The key to determining how best to monitor your breast health is a frank discussion with your doctor about how often you should have a screening mammogram once you reach age 40, based on your personal risk factors.
Men are also at risk of developing breast cancer, although it is very rare in men. According to the National Cancer Institute, each year there are about 2,300 new cases of breast cancer in men compared to about 230,000 new cases in women.
For more information about breast cancer or to schedule an appointment, please call (602) 406-8222.
Breast cancer can take on many forms and may be referred to by any of the following terms.
Ductal Carcinoma – Breast cancer located in the lining of the milk ducts.
Lobular Carcinoma – Breast cancer located in the milk glands.
Invasive – Breast cancer that spreads beyond where it began in the breast to surrounding tissue, also referred to as metastasizing. About 230,000 new cases of invasive breast cancer cases occur each year.
Non-Invasive - Breast cancer that is confined to where in the breast it began. About 50,000 cases of non-invasive breast cancer occur each year.
Hormone-Receptor Positive – This means the breast cancer tumor cells contains hormone receptors. Hormone therapy can be used to block estrogen and/or progesterone production in order to slow or stop the growth of hormone-sensitive (or hormone-dependent) breast cancers.
Hormone-Receptor Negative – This means the breast cancer tumor cells do not contain hormone receptors. Hormone therapy would not be an effective treatment to slow or stop the growth of a tumor.
The most important step to take if breast cancer is suspected from a mammogram or other screening modality is to see a specialist for a consultation. The breast cancer experts at Dignity Health – Cancer Institute at St. Joseph’s can guide you through what you should do next. You can make an appointment with one of our breast cancer specialists by calling (602) 406-8222.
If an oncologist determines that you have breast cancer, treatment will be developed just for you and personalized to your needs. A treatment suited for another woman whose situation is similar to yours may not be the same treatment that’s best for you. One of the hallmarks of the Dignity Health – Cancer Institute at St. Joseph’s is the commitment to provide tailored treatment for every patient, based on their genetic profile, lifestyle, and individual circumstances.
Because breast changes are not always caused by cancer, every patient at the Center receives a thorough evaluation that includes a physical exam and questions about personal and family medical history. Sometimes a referral is made to a genetic counselor since about 10% of breast cancer is related to the genes you inherited. A biopsy and other diagnostic tests are available for every patient.
Treatment you may receive
There are three ways to treat breast cancer: surgery, radiation, and medications. Surgery and radiation are two important types of treatment for assuring control of the cancer. Your oncologist at the Dignity Health – Cancer Institute at St. Joseph’s will help you understand which treatment is most appropriate for you.
Questions to ask your oncologist
- How will you determine whether I have breast cancer and what kind of breast cancer I have?
- How will you determine the best treatment for me?
- How long does each treatment option typically last, both individually and as a series of treatments?
- How will you know if the treatment is making progress?
- How long will I need to remain your patient?
For more information about various types of cancer, cancer staging and treatment options, click on this link from the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN): NCCN Guidelines for Patients® - nccn.org/patients/default.aspx.
For more information about breast cancer or to schedule an appointment, please call (602) 406-8222.
You can minimize your risk of developing breast cancer through these four steps:
- Exercising 3 or more hours per week.
- Eating low-fat and high-fiber foods.
- Maintaining a normal body weight (a BMI of less than 25).
- Limiting alcohol consumption to no more than one drink per day.
The services provided in the Thoracic Cancer Program at Dignity Health – Cancer Institute at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center include the diagnosis and treatment of malignant and high-risk diseases of the lungs, esophagus, trachea, chest wall, pleura and thymus. Treatments include surgery, chemotherapy and radiation, as well as symptom management and survivor services.
In addition to specializing in the treatment of thoracic cancers, our program is committed to participating in existing clinical investigations of new therapeutic medications. The program also is dedicated to designing more clinical trials and “translating” basic scientific discoveries in a lab into new medications and protocols that have the potential to help those with cancer.
For more information about our Thoracic Cancer Program or scheduling an appointment at Dignity Health – Cancer Institute at St. Joseph’s, please call (602) 406-8222.
The goal is a better understanding of how lung cancer and other thoracic cancers can be treated and managed. Here are the basics about a variety of thoracic cancers:
Lung Cancer
Lung cancer occurs in one of two forms – non-small cell lung cancer and small cell lung cancer. The types are based on the way the cells look under a microscope, according to the National Cancer Institute. Non-small cell lung cancer is far more common than small cell lung cancer.
Non-small cell lung cancer is the most common type of lung cancer. About 85 percent of lung cancers are non-small cell lung cancers. Squamous cell carcinoma, adenocarcinoma, and large cell carcinoma are all subtypes of non-small cell lung cancer.
Small cell lung cancer is also called oat cell cancer. About 10 to 15 percent of lung cancers are small cell lung cancers. This type of lung cancer tends to spread quickly, according to the American Cancer Society.
Though symptoms may not appear until lung cancer is in a late stage, these are some of the signs that may be present earlier:
- a cough that doesn’t go away or gets worse over time
- difficulty breathing
- difficulty swallowing
- chest discomfort or pain
- wheezing
- swelling in the face and/or veins in the neck
- blood in sputum coughed up from the lungs
- hoarseness
- loss of appetite
- weight loss for no apparent reason
- feeling very tired
Lung cancer is the second-most commonly diagnosed cancer in the U.S. among men and women, according to the American Cancer Society. Though smoking rates are down in this country, lung cancer continues to occur in significant numbers: more than 221,000 Americans are expected to be diagnosed with the disease this year.
Lung Cancer Screening - The lung cancer screening program at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center offers those with a high risk of lung cancer the opportunity to screen for and diagnose lung cancer before symptoms develop. To obtain more information or to make an appointment for a lung screening, call our toll-free number 1-855-LUNG-SCREEN (855) 586-4727.
Take a FREE Online Lung Cancer Risk Assessment - This online tool provides a personalized, strictly confidential information that will help you:
- Identify your lung cancer risk factors
- Learn if lung cancer screening is recommended for you
For information about survival rates for this cancer, visit seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/lungb.html.
For more information about lung cancer, cancer.gov/types/lung.
Pleural Cancer
Pleural cancer is more commonly known as mesothelioma. The disease develops in the pleura, the soft tissue that surrounds the lungs. In almost all cases, pleural mesothelioma is caused by asbestos exposure.
For more information about mesothelioma, visit this page from the National Cancer Institute: cancer.gov/types/mesothelioma.
About 3,000 Americans are expected to be diagnosed with mesothelioma this year, according to the American Cancer Society. Symptoms of pleural mesothelioma include a lingering cough and shortness of breath.
Thymus cancer
Thymus cancer, which is uncommon, starts in the small gland located just behind the breast bone in the front the chest. The thymus, part of the lymph system, sits just in front of and above the heart in the space between the lungs that contains the esophagus, part of the trachea, and lymph nodes. The thymus gland makes white blood cells that protect the body against infections.
For more information about thymus gland cancer, visit this page developed by the National Cancer Institute: cancer.gov/types/thymoma/patient/thymoma-treatment-pdq.
Questions to ask your oncologist
- What is my diagnosis and prognosis?
- What is your experience in treating the cancer I have?
- How will you determine the best treatment for me?
- How long does each treatment option typically last, both individually and as a series of treatments?
- How will you know if the treatment is making progress?
For more information about various types of cancer, cancer staging and treatment options, click on this link from the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN): NCCN Guidelines for Patients® - nccn.org/patients/default.aspx.
For more information about scheduling an appointment at Dignity Health – Cancer Institute at St. Joseph’s, please call (602) 406-8222.