Akron General’s McDowell Cancer Center offers new service.
"It’s not always that patients who come to the Lung Cancer Center are diagnosed with the disease," says Kathy Lukity, RN, Lung Cancer Center Coordinator. "By having an appointment with the Lung Cancer Center at Akron General, we offer the evaluation of both a pulmonologist and a surgeon in the same location, and many times the same appointment. It can possibly save the patient months of waiting for a diagnosis."
A speedy diagnosis for lung cancer is essential for proactive treatment, since symptoms don’t often become apparent until later stages of the disease.
"Having the consultation of both specialists is also beneficial to the patient because they determine together, if it’s needed, the most appropriate treatment," adds Lukity.
Most often, patients are given a referral to the Lung Cancer Center when nodules are found through a chest X-ray. Nodules are round lesions, or spots, in the lung or airways, which are different than normal tissue. Not all nodules are malignant (cancerous). When nodules are cancerous, a referral to an oncologist for treatment is recommended quickly. Surgery, when it’s possible is sometimes a good option. Other times, chemotherapy or radiation therapy are preferred treatments, or these three are used in some combination.
No matter the diagnosis, the Coordinator at the Lung Cancer Center keeps the referring physician in the loop, most times that is the patient’s primary care doctor. Patients, or their doctors can schedule an appointment with the Lung Cancer Center, but some additional tests are needed before hand. The patient should bring test results to their appointment. These include a complete blood count (CBC), a comprehensive metabolic panel (CMP), prothrombin time (PT)/partial thromboplastin time (PTT) and a computed tomography (CT) scan. The Center Coordinator schedules any additional appointments needed after the first one, providing support and education.
Patients and their doctors should know that the Lung Cancer Center also means continuity of care and experience - from diagnosis through treatment at the McDowell Cancer Center. In 2006, we provided nearly 30,000 procedures, such as cancer-related surgeries, radiation therapy and more. More than 14,000 patient visits were made to the McDowell Cancer Center last year for outpatient therapies, including chemotherapy, infusion services and injections.
The McDowell Cancer Center offers the newest therapies, diagnostics and surgical techniques to help minimize side effects and improve outcomes. A research site with national clinical trials, Akron General Medical Center offers treatment alternatives that may help extend and improve lives. In 2006, the cancer research department had an 12.8 percent accrual rate of total analytic cases who participated in research trials or studies.
Lung Cancer Center services are covered by Medicare, Medicaid and third party payors. A facility charge will be part of the services billed and patients will be informed prior to services rendered. For more information on Lung Cancer Center Services, call the Akron General McDowell Cancer Center at 330-344-HOPE (4673).
