An Albany Medical Center lung surgeon
\nsays guidelines recently issued to provide
\nearlier detection of lung cancer among older
\npeople who are long-term smokers will help
\nsave lives.<\/p>\n
Guidelines issued in January by the U.S.
\nPreventive Services Task Force (USPSTF)
\nrecommend annual low-dose CT lung cancer
\nscreening for individuals 55 to 80 who
\nare either current heavy smokers or former
\nheavy smokers who have quit within the
\npast 15 years.<\/p>\n
“When cancer is detected early more
\ntreatment options are available and can be
\nexplored,” said Dr. Thomas Fabian, chief of
\nAlbany Med’s Section of Thoracic Surgery
\nand director of its Multi-Specialty Lung
\nCancer Program.
\nHe noted that Albany Med has recommended
\nmore frequent screenings since
\n2010. <\/p>\n
Fabian said lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States, and that because the vast majority of lung cancers are diagnosed at a late stage, 80 percent of people diagnosed with lung cancer die from the disease.<\/p>\n
“These standards, when adopted and universally applied as they are at Albany Med, will save many lives,” Fabian said. “More frequent lung cancer screening for adult smokers means nearly 80 percent of lung cancer patients can be identified in the early stage, when surgery remains an option.”<\/p>\n
Albany Med is one of only seven facilities in New York state designated as a Center for Lung Cancer Screening Excellence by the Lung Cancer Alliance.<\/p>\n
The designation is based on Albany Med adopting quality screening methods, employing recommended criteria for selecting high-risk individuals for screening and educating about risks and benefits, and providing evaluation and follow-up with a multi-disciplinary team of experts.<\/p>\n
USPSTF is a group of health experts that reviews published research and makes recommendations about preventative care. They determined that low-dose CT lung cancer screening is more accurate than other alternatives in identifying the disease in its early stages.<\/p>\n
For more information on Albany Med’s lung cancer program, visit: www.amc.edu\/Patient\/services\/pulmonary_medicine\/lung_cancer_program.cfm.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
An Albany Medical Center lung surgeon says guidelines recently issued to provide earlier detection of lung cancer among older people who are long-term smokers will help save lives. Guidelines issued in January by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[48,82],"class_list":["post-14907","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-insurance-medical-services","tag-albany","tag-healthcare"],"yoast_head":"\r\n