Shoulder pain probably doesn't come to
mind when you think of lung cancer. For the
72-year-old former pilot, however, it was the
first sign of a much bigger health problem. A
former smoker, he had smoked at least one
pack of cigarettes a day for 35 years before
he kicked the habit in 1994. He was not a
candidate for lung cancer screening, however,
because he had been smoke-free for more
than 15 years.
When the veteran began having left
shoulder pain in 2015, lung cancer seemed
an unlikely cause. A chest X-ray, however,
showed a mass in his left lung. It was visible
on a computed tomography (CT ) scan, as
well—along with evidence that the cancer had
spread to two ribs and two vertebrae in the
spine. A biopsy confirmed the news no patient
wants to hear: squamous cell carcinoma of
the lung, a type of non-small-cell lung cancer,
which had spread to other parts of the body.
TEAM TREATMENT
At CHI St. Joseph Health, patients who receive
a lung cancer diagnosis don't face the disease
alone. A team that includes radiologists,
pulmonologists, thoracic surgeons, interventional
radiologists, medical oncologists, radiation
oncologists, radiation therapists, a social
worker and a nurse navigator stands ready to
do everything it can to help patients become
survivors.
"No other lung cancer program in the
region can match our capabilities, but
we're always seeking to improve," said Terry
Jenkins, M.D., medical director of oncology
Two years ago, a
retired Air Force
officer learned he was
facing a formidable
new adversary: lung
cancer. A skillful team
at CHI St. Joseph
Health helped him
complete his mission
of survivorship.
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CHI ST. JOSEPH HEALTH /// CHIStJoseph.org
