Lung Cancer

Common symptoms of lung cancer include:

• Chest pain
• Cough that doesn’t stop or coughing up blood
• Unexpected weight loss
• Hoarseness
• Difficulty swallowing
• Shortness of breath

If we detect a suspicious growth during a screening or imaging for some other medical condition, you receive additional testing. Your care will likely include a detailed computed tomography (CT) scan. A radiologist specializing in thoracic diseases interprets the results.

In eligible patients, additional testing may include evaluating the suspicious growth using a long, flexible tube (bronchoscope) with a camera and tiny instruments. GPS mapping technology helps us reach the location of the growth and take a tissue sample. Pathologists specializing in lung disease evaluate the tissue sample under a microscope to confirm or rule out cancer.

Your care may include:

• Surgery: We determine the right approach for removing the portion of your lung with cancer. Eligible patients receive minimally invasive surgery, which removes cancer while preserving as much healthy tissue as possible and eases recovery. Find out more about cancer surgery.
• Drugs and other medical treatments: This option includes chemotherapy drugs that slow cancer cell growth. Patients who qualify may also benefit from immunotherapy, which helps your immune system recognize cancer cells and attack them. Explore chemotherapy and other medical oncology.
• Radiation therapy: This treatment uses high-energy radiation to shrink the cancer. This option may be right for you if you cannot have surgery. Find out more about radiation therapy.
• Supportive care: You receive therapies that relieve breathing problems, stomach issues and other side effects of treatment. Read more about supportive care.