At the Lahey Health Cancer Institute (LHCI), we’ve helped to define the standards for lung cancer screening.
Lahey Health is a pioneer in the early detection of lung cancer, and we have the largest clinical lung cancer screening program in the country.
Screening Program Diagnosing Cancer Team of Providers If Thoracic Cancer Is Confirmed
Lung Cancer Screening Program
First ACR Accredited
Lahey Hospital & Medical Center was the first facility in the U.S. to be designated an accredited Lung Cancer Screening Center by the American College of Radiology (ACR). In fact, we were used by the ACR as a model program and helped set those standards for others to follow.
Early detection can increase the five-year survival rate for stage 1 lung cancer to nearly 90 percent. Lahey screens for lung cancer with low-dose computed tomography (LDCT), which has been proven to find lung cancer at its earliest stages. It is the first screening shown to reduce lung cancer deaths.
Our program screens individuals who are current smokers or who have quit within the last 15 years, and who have smoked the equivalent of at least one pack a day for 30 years, since they are at highest risk for lung cancer. Individuals who have smoked for more than 20 years are also eligible if they have additional risk factors.
Diagnosing Lung Cancer and Chest Cancer
LHCI has the very latest technology available to accurately diagnose thoracic cancer, including CT, MRI, PET, nuclear medicine, PET/CT, and endobronchial ultrasound-guided (EBUS) and navigational bronchoscopy-guided biopsies.
Our interventional pulmonologists utilize a highly sophisticated mapping and tracking system to perform biopsies. Such procedures can be particularly effective for small tumors in the lungs where it might be difficult or dangerous to perform a biopsy deep in the chest.
A Team of Providers
At LHCI, providers from various disciplines come together to diagnose thoracic cancer and form a treatment plan, medical and radiation oncologists, radiologists, thoracic surgeons, interventional pulmonologists, pathologists, and other experts.
LHCI treats non-small cell lung cancer and small cell lung cancer, mesothelioma, tracheal tumors, cancer that has metastasized (spread) to the chest, thymoma (cancer of the thymus, a small organ in the upper chest that is part of your lymphatic system), and much more.
Thoracic cancer can be curable when discovered and treated appropriately in its early stages. Our goal is to provide precise diagnosis and staging of a tumor to help guide the most appropriate treatment plan.
If Thoracic Cancer Is Confirmed
If your test results show lung cancer or chest cancer, be assured that you will not be in it alone. We will pair you with a patient navigator to help guide you through treatment decisions and survivorship. We will support you, educate you, and treat you according to best practices and the highest clinical standards.
Your case will be discussed at our next weekly multidisciplinary thoracic oncology clinics, where a team of experts reviews the cases of new patients as well as established patients for whom treatment decisions have to be made. We review your medical images and slides, medical history, and specific type of cancer to reach a consensus on next steps in your care.