Page 6 - Summa Health Cancer Institute 2016 Outcomes
P. 6
Providing Seamless,
Patient-centered
Lung Cancer Care
Summa Health is committed to providing seamless
care for patients at risk for lung cancer. We are
actively expanding and improving our lung cancer
screening and treatment programs. At the core of
this goal is our multidisciplinary approach.
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death, Lung cancer screening is recommended for
causing more deaths per year in the U.S. than high risk patients who meet all of the following
breast, colon, prostate and esophageal cancer eligibility criteria:
combined. The incidence of lung cancer is similar
for example to breast cancer, but the mortality of • Age 55-77 years old
lung cancer is more than five times higher. This
is in large part because lung cancer is diagnosed • Current smoker or quit within the last 15 years
late, with more than 50 percent of cases
presenting as metastatic disease. • Smoked at least 30 pack/years
Recently, however, lung cancer screening with CT • Asymptomatic for lung cancer
scan has been approved by CMS and is covered by
insurance. This was based on the National Lung • No CT chest in the last 11 months
Cancer Screening Trial which demonstrated a 20
percent reduction in lung cancer mortality with • No co-morbid conditions that would limit life
CT screening. When detected early, lung cancer expectancy within five years
is highly curable, with survival rates in screening
populations exceeding 90 percent if immediate All patients enrolled in our lung cancer screening
resection is performed. program are followed by a “lung navigator.” The
navigator is our patients’ personal liaison between
Summa offers screening Summa Health’s physicians and diagnostic
CTs throughout the health services. The navigator communicates directly
system at eight hospital with patients and primary care providers to ensure
and satellite locations. that all questions are addressed and testing is
performed in a timely and coordinated manner.
Summa’s lung cancer screening program is
expanding. In 2016, 581 initial screening CT scans
and 64 annual (repeat) scans were performed.
Nearly half of the lung cancers detected by our
screening program were stage I, offering our
patients an outstanding hope for cure.
6 Cancer Institute 2016 Outcomes Report
