Lung Cancer Screening & Early Detection

Early detection of lung cancer is the best way to improve your long-term outcome. Most lung cancers result from smoking, so if you smoke or used to smoke, you may benefit from a quick, painless cancer screening. This test can detect lung cancer before you experience symptoms—when treatment works best. Learn if you qualify for a lung cancer screening at AnMed. 

Types of Lung Cancer

You’ll find expert treatment at AnMed for the two main types of lung cancer.
 

Small-Cell Lung Cancer

Small-cell lung cancer is named for the size of the cancer cells as they appear under a microscope. This type of cancer starts in the lungs' bronchi—the airways that lead from your windpipe into the lungs.
 

Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Most lung cancers are non-small cell. This type forms in the tissues of the lungs and grows slower than small-cell lung cancer. 
 

Lung Cancer Staging

Staging determines how far your cancer has spread. Your cancer stage, type of lung cancer, overall health and personal preferences help us determine what treatments to recommend. 
 

Treatment Types

Your treatment options may include:

  • Surgery
    • Video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) is a minimally invasive surgical technique used to diagnose and treat problems in the chest. A tiny camera inserted through small incisions in the chest sends images to a video monitor. The images guide your doctor when taking a biopsy and removing tumors or entire lobes from the lung.
    • Veran SPiN Thoracic Navigation System® allows doctors to find lesions deep inside the lungs and remove a sample for biopsy (testing). This leads to a quicker diagnosis.
  • Radiation therapy
  • Chemotherapy 
     

Small-Cell Lung Cancer Treatments

Your doctor will likely recommend chemotherapy as your best treatment option. Immunotherapy and sometimes radiation therapy may also help. Surgery is rarely an option because small-cell lung cancer spreads rapidly.
 

Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Treatments

Surgery is the preferred treatment option for non-small cell lung cancer when possible. But if your cancer is too advanced, your doctors will use other treatments.

Targeted therapy helps treat advanced lung cancer by attacking certain unique characteristics of your cancer. This type of therapy can block genetic changes and proteins that allow the cancer cells to grow, divide and spread.

Clinical Trials

Talk to your doctor about clinical trials available through AnMed. These research studies examine new approaches to care that aren’t yet widely available. 

Cancer Care Team

Your care team includes different types of doctors—a multispecialty team—who work together to give you the best possible care. You'll also have a dedicated lung cancer nurse navigator to guide you and your family from diagnosis through treatment.

Cancer Support Services

Cancer doesn’t just attack the body. It also affects patients mentally, emotionally and spiritually. That’s why support services are so important. AnMed Cancer Center offers you a wide range of resources to improve your quality of life.