Lung Cancer

Lung cancer can be a frightening diagnosis. But it's one we have a lot of experience with here at MetroHealth. Our team of specialists will be at your side from the moment lung cancer is suspected. We'll remain there through diagnosis, treatment and follow-up care.

To make an appointment with one of our lung cancer doctors, call 216-778-7328.

Your health care team will be made up of oncologists (cancer doctors), pulmonologists (lung doctors) and nurses who focus on cancer of the lung. Our treatments are cutting-edge and based on the latest science, but our care is personal and individualized. We never forget that each patient is someone special, and every patient should have access to the best care possible.

Understanding Your Lung Cancer

If you have a history of smoking and have no suspicious symptoms of cancer, you may be referred for a low-dose spiral CT scan. These screenings have been shown to decrease the risk of dying from lung cancer in heavy smokers. Low-dose screening chest CT scans do not use dyes (intravenous contrast), and they use very little radiation. In fact, the radiation dose you'll be exposed to during this test is similar to the radiation you might encounter when you fly from New York to Los Angeles.

If your primary care physician suspects lung cancer, a CT scan of your chest with intravenous contrast may be the first test you have.

After you see your lung cancer doctor, all of your test results will be presented to the Tumor Board—a committee of cancer specialists. Even if you haven't been diagnosed with lung cancer, the board will review your test results and history to decide the next best step for you. That may mean more advanced imaging tests, such as a PET scan or an endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS). You might be referred for a biopsy using fine-needle aspiration.

Treatment Options for Lung Cancer

At MetroHealth, we emphasize planning and staging. The more we know about your cancer, the better equipped we will be to tailor the right treatment for you. That's especially true of lung cancer, because your treatment plan depends heavily on the type of lung cancer you have and the stage (or severity) of it when it's found.

There are two main types of lung cancer:

• Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the most common type of lung cancer. There are also several subtypes of NSCLC, of which the main three are adenocarcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and large cell carcinoma. For many people with stage I or stage II NSCLC, surgery is often the best option. This may be followed by chemotherapy. People with stage III NCSCLC may undergo chemotherapy and radiation treatment at the same time. For people with more advanced stage IV cancer, possible options include chemotherapy, targeted therapy or immunotherapy. Clinical trials are also available for the treatment of your cancer at different stages.
• Small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) is a more aggressive form of lung cancer. Because most cases aren't diagnosed until the cancer is in an advanced stage, surgery is rarely an option. When still confined to a relatively small area in the chest, SCLC usually is treated with concurrent chemotherapy and radiation. This is often followed by prophylactic radiation to the brain, since about half of SCLC cases spread to the brain. When it is more spread, small cell lung cancer is treated with chemotherapy.

There's a lot to understand about lung cancer, but you won't have to become an expert. When you come to MetroHealth, you'll have an entire team in your corner. They will do the work of diagnosing, planning and researching so that you can focus on getting better.

A Dedicated Team of Lung Cancer Experts

You can expect your lung cancer team to consist of a number of specialists. For example, our roster of experts includes two advanced diagnostic pulmonologists. Their focus is diagnosing and staging lung cancer via EBUS.

Other members of your lung cancer team may include:

• Medical oncologists
• Radiation oncologists
• Thoracic surgeons
• Palliative care physicians
• Pulmonary rehabilitation specialists
• Oncology nurses
• Social workers
• Dietitians
• Patient navigators

We may also connect you to other departments within The MetroHealth System, including surgery, smoking cessation and primary care.

Every person on your team is devoted to your health and your recovery. Our team works collaboratively toward that goal, sharing information and strategies and ensuring that you get the care and services you need when you need them.

We're Making Strides in Treating Lung Cancer

Major advances are being made in oncology, including the treatment of lung cancer. New, promising therapies are being evaluated in clinical trials. Among these are medications called anti-PD1 inhibitors—drugs that target the immune system, which then turns around and attacks the cancer. We use these medications to help some patients now, and we're investigating the use of these medications in earlier stages of cancer so that we can help even more people.

Many of those clinical trials are being led by MetroHealth's cancer doctors, who also serve on the faculty at the School of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University. If there is a clinical trial at MetroHealth that might benefit you in your lung cancer fight, your oncologist will help you enroll.

Find Out More

Smoking has been closely tied to lung cancer. MetroHealth has an innovative program that can help you quit. Read more. Our lung cancer treatment services are offered through our Cancer Center, which is located inside MetroHealth main campus.

To make an appointment with one of our lung cancer doctors, call 216-778-7328.