Lung cancer

Lung cancer is categorized into two types:

• Small cell lung cancers — A fast-growing type of lung cancer that is usually caused by smoking
• Non-small cell lung cancers — Generally a less aggressive form of lung cancer, which includes adenocarcinomas, large cell carcinomas and squamous cell carcinomas.

We offer noninvasive, low-dose computerized tomography (LDCT) lung cancer screenings if you may be at risk of lung cancer. LDCT is designed to catch cancer in its early stages. If you are considered high-risk and are routinely screened, you are more likely to detect lung cancer at an earlier, more treatable stage.

The LDCT screening is painless, only takes a few minutes and exposes you to five times less radiation than a regular computerized tomography (CT) scan.

We offer robotic-assisted bronchoscopy, a new technology allowing for earlier detection of lung cancer with greater accuracy. Before this innovative technology, factors such as nodule location and size, as well as technology limitations, made an early-stage lung cancer diagnosis challenging.

This minimally invasive procedure is safer than CT-guided lung biopsy. Unlike a traditional bronchoscopy, the robotic platform gives our physicians the ability to obtain tissue samples of small and hard-to-reach nodules in the lung to determine an accurate and timely diagnosis. The ability to diagnose these cancers and begin treatment earlier may increase the chance of survival.

Talk to your primary care physician about a screening test if you match the following criteria:

• You are between 50 and 77 years old.
• You have at least a 20 pack-year smoking history.
  • Pack-years calculation: (number of packs smoked per day) x (number of years smoking) = pack-year smoking history
• You are either still smoking or have quit smoking within the last 15 years and are asymptomatic with no symptoms of lung cancer.

A CT scan requires a physician's order. Please talk with your doctor if you are interested in having this screening.

MountainView Hospital's outpatient imaging center, Red Rock Radiology, offers convenient appointments to meet your needs. It is just down the street from our hospital and easily accessible. To schedule an appointment for a low-dose CT lung Screening, call (855) 476-1268.

After your doctor makes a diagnosis and determines the extent of the cancer, they will suggest a treatment plan. Treatment and surgical options for the most common lung cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, can vary. They may include surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy or a combination of treatments. Additionally, we offer minimally invasive, robot-assisted procedures when certain conditions allow.

Depending on the stage of your cancer, your surgeon may remove tissue, a portion of your lung or your entire lung. Types of procedures can include removing:

• Entire lobe of one lung, also known as a lobectomy
• Entire lung, also known as a pneumonectomy
• Larger portion of the lung, but not an entire lobe, also known as segmental resection
• Small section of your lung with the tumor and a margin of healthy tissue, also known as a wedge resection