An interdisciplinary approach to lung cancer screening takes hold in Maryland
When it comes to cancer, early detection often means a better chance at survival. Yet when it comes to lung cancer, less than 5% of high-risk patients nationally receive screening; in Maryland, the number is less than 3%. Now, at the University of Maryland Baltimore Washington Medical Center’s Lung Center and Tate Cancer Center, a team of experts in lung cancer, thoracic surgery and interventional pulmonology are joining forces to improve the rate of screening and, hopefully, save lives.
Current guidelines say that people who are between the ages of 50-80 and have smoked 20 packs of cigarettes or more a year should get screened; however, as many of 20% of lung cancers occur in people who have never smoked. Moreover, since Stage 1 lung cancer is asymptomatic, this screening may be the only way a patient’s cancer is caught early. Screenings take less than 15 minutes and involve a low-dose CT scan.
Should the screening reveal nodules in the lungs, UM BWMC has another technological innovation to fight the disease. Beginning in spring of 2023, UM BWMC has used the ION robot, which allows providers to sample smaller lung nodules than previous technologies, while also being able to reach places in the lungs not accessible with a bronchoscopy. They also use the da Vinci robot-assisted surgical system that allows surgery through small incisions, leading to a shorter recovery time.
The interdisciplinary approach, combined with technology, means that a patient can get screened, diagnosed, treated, and receive follow-up care all in one place. “We built a system where we are very proud that we can get patients in very quickly … review their imaging and discuss it as a team,” said Peter Olivieri, M.D., director of interventional pulmonology at UM BWMC. “It’s a very interdisciplinary, team-based approach.”