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and B recommended screenings, so lung cancer screenings may soon be available to a wider group of patients. Orange Regional offers low-dose CT screenings as part of a comprehensive cancer program. Advances in Cancer Diagnosis and Staging Once a screening test indicates a potential cancer, Orange Regional's diagnostic techniques help physicians discover the intricacies of the patient's condition. Endobronchial ultrasound is a minimally invasive bronchoscopy proce- dure during which a physician introduces a bronchoscope with an ultrasound probe into the patient's airway. The procedure, guided by ultrasound, involves a trans- bronchial needle piercing the wall of the airway, allowing the physician to biopsy lymph nodes. The pathologist examines the biopsy tissue in the operating room to make a real-time determination of cancer presence. Swift diagnosis and staging mean patients can begin treatment rapidly. Before surgery, patients receive a call from the lung cancer nurse navigator introducing them to the range of patient- centered programs at Orange Regional, including smoking cessation, survivorship and much more. Assistance in Smoking Cessation "We know that smoking is the major risk factor for lung cancer," Dr. Lewis says. "Before cigarettes became widely marketed in the early 20th century, lung cancer accounted for only 3 percent of all cancers in the United States. Lung cancer trends follow smoking trends; for instance, if you examine the rise in male smoking after World War II and the rise of female smoking in the 1960s and 1970s, you will see that, following a latency period, lung cancer mortality has mirrored smoking trends. As men's smoking rates have declined, their lung cancer deaths have also fallen." Smoking is a difficult habit to break — no more than 7 percent of attempts to quit without the use of medication succeed, while only about one-fourth of smokers who use medications to help them quit completely give up the habit. Even among those who were successful, six in 10 tried more than once before achieving lasting smoking cessation. That's why Orange Regional's Lung Cancer Disease Management team offers so much support as patients seek to end their addictions, Dr. Lewis says. "Quitting is tough," he notes. "Our nurse navigator works closely with patients to help them stop smoking. Since we can't counsel each patient every day, we cooper- ate with numerous groups to bring people the resources and daily support they need." Patient-centered Support Orange Regional also assists lung cancer patients through a range of ancillary resources. These include volunteer navi- gators who spend time talking with and listening to patients and providing other nonmedical support, a Ride to Recovery program that offers free transportation to cancer treatments, and the Survivorship, Training and Rehabilitation (STAR) Program, which offers comprehensive rehabilitation for each patient. Programs are tailored to meet individual needs and are usually covered by insurance. The STAR Program Certification con- firms that Orange Regional has a proven, systematic method of rehabilitating each patient, from both the difficulties of cancer and the side effects that may come with treatment. Evidence-based rehabilitation programs help patients enter the survivor- ship phase able to resume activities of daily living with a high level of functionality. Multidisciplinary Cancer Treatment Team A multidisciplinary team of profession- als collaborates to provide individualized care for lung cancer patients receiving services at Orange Regional Medical Center. The team includes medical oncologists, pathologists, psychiatrists, pulmonologists, radiation oncologists, respiratory therapists, nutritionists, social workers and specialized cancer nurses. Members of the team meet regularly in a tumor board to discuss each patient's case Intraoperative view of a large, fluid-filled pericardial cyst prior to thoracoscopic resection Dr. Lewis and Garcia review a patient's chest CT scan for preoperative planning. COV ER FE AT UR E 8 | Mid Hudson MD NEWS ■ M D N E W S . CO M