A leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States, lung cancer occurs when tumors form inside the airways or air sacs of the lungs. Due to how aggressive the disease can be, lung cancer should be diagnosed and treated as early as possible. Adults aged 50 to 80 with a history of smoking cigarettes or other tobacco products are most at risk.
Speak with a Bayhealth specialist about lung cancer treatment options.
Signs and Symptoms
Indications of lung cancer include the following.
- Persistent coughing
- Chest pain
- Shortness of breath
- Wheezing
- Coughing up blood
- Constant fatigue
- Sudden weight loss.
Speak with your doctor if you are experiencing these symptoms. Bayhealth offers free lung cancer screenings for qualifying patients based on annual income.
Preventive Care
Smoking is the leading cause of lung cancer, contributing to 80% or more of all new cases of the disease. For this reason, our cancer care team also concentrates on preventive care, which includes pairing you with a smoking cessation coach and certified tobacco treatment specialist who can help you quit smoking or using tobacco products. Additionally, the Delaware Quitline is a free service available to any Delaware resident 18 years of age and older, providing phone or face-to-face coaching for tobacco cessation. Call 1-866-409-1858 to enroll.
Screenings
Individuals whose health history indicates a higher risk of lung cancer should consider having periodic screenings. As an American College of Radiology-designated Lung Cancer Screening Center, Bayhealth provides screenings that meet and exceed industry standards in operations, accuracy, and patient care. Learn more about lung cancer screenings at Bayhealth.
How We Diagnose Lung Cancer
Our team uses the following diagnostic procedures to identify lung cancer.
- Chest X-ray: This test captures images of your heart, lungs, airways, blood vessels and lymph nodes. If you have smoked during your lifetime or have a family history of lung cancer, you should consider having routine chest X-rays.
- Endobronchial Ultrasound (EBUS): A special probe (inserted into the airway that leads to the lungs) is used to send sound waves into the surrounding tissue to capture images of the tumor. A tissue sample (called a biopsy) is also taken.
- Low-dose Computerized Tomography (CT) Scan: X-ray signals of the body are processed by a computer in narrow “slices,” ensuring maximum image accuracy.
- Thoracoscopy: Surgeons explore your lungs and chest area using a thin, tube-like instrument (thoracoscope) to determine if tumors are present.
Treatment Options
Our multidisciplinary team works collaboratively to outline a treatment plan tailored to your specific needs. Experts from a range of specialties (such as surgery, medical and radiation oncology, radiology, pulmonary and pathology) will discuss your condition and determine the best plan of action. Factors we consider when developing your treatment plan include the stage and location of the cancer and your personal medical history.
Treatments for lung cancer include the following.
Medical Therapy
Our board-certified oncologists prescribe your medical therapy, and our highly trained nursing
staff administers that therapy intravenously, orally or through injection.
Among the medical treatments we provide are the following.
- Targeted Drug Therapy: This type of cancer treatment uses drugs to “target” cancer cells without affecting normal cells.
- Chemotherapy: This drug treatment uses powerful chemicals to kill fast-growing cancer cells in your body.
- Immunotherapy: This treatment option boosts your immune system, empowering it to fight and destroy cancer cells.
Radiation Therapies
Our team of board-certified radiation oncologists may use external beam radiation in combination with other treatments to address your cancer. Employing sophisticated technology, our therapists concentrate high-energy beams of radiation on the precise parts of your body affected by disease. This safe and accurate procedure may be administered routinely over a period of days or weeks.
Surgical Approaches
The first health system in Delaware to offer robot-assisted lung surgery, Bayhealth has always used the most cutting-edge procedures to treat your cancer. Our expert physicians are skilled in traditional (or “open”) surgery as well as several minimally invasive techniques. Depending on numerous factors, we may use one of the following approaches to address your condition.
- Open Thoracotomy: During this form of traditional open surgery, our experts use robot-assisted techniques to cut or spread your ribs apart, which provides them a clear view of the area affected by cancer. The tumor or lobe of the lung is then removed.
- Video-Assisted Thoracic Surgery (VATS): A minimally invasive procedure, VATS uses specially designed instruments—including a small, flexible camera—to remove cancerous tissue without opening your chest cavity.
- Lobectomy: Your lungs have five lobes (three in the right lung and two in the left) that help bring oxygen to the bloodstream. During a lobectomy, one of those lobes is removed using robot-assisted surgery.
- Pneumonectomy: The most extensive form of lung cancer surgery, a pneumonectomy involves the removal of an entire lung affected by the disease.
Learn more about cancer treatment options at Bayhealth.
Support Services
Before, during and after your cancer treatments, our experts remain dedicated to improving your quality of life. Our care team supports you in establishing healthy routines that help you stay in control of your daily symptoms. We also host support groups that provide patients and families opportunities to connect and share their experiences — because a strong network of support can help to make the realities of cancer more manageable.
- Better Breathers Club: A support group for people affected by chronic lung disease (including patients and family members), the Better Breathers Club meets monthly in Dover and Milford. Registration is not required. Contact our Bayhealth Respiratory Navigators in Dover (302-744-7661) and Milford (302-430-5902) for information.
- Cancer Support Community: A statewide non-profit organization, the Cancer Support Community is dedicated to helping people manage the emotional aspects of their cancer journey. Learn more about the Cancer Support Community.
Explore our classes, events, and support groups.
Clinical Trials
Clinical trials are research studies that test cutting-edge drugs, procedures, and technologies with the purpose of establishing new or better ways of treating cancer. The skilled nurses in our Clinical Research Program can help you find clinical trial options for your specific cancer.
Speak with a Bayhealth expert about cancer treatment options.