Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/729753
Jean-Philippe Bocage, MD, and Robert Caccavale, MD The Comprehensive Lung Care Program at CentraState Medical Center, in conjunction with Freehold MR Association, offers low-dose CT screenings, using a state- of-the-art, 64-slice CT scan, for those individuals considered at high risk for developing lung cancer. CentraState is accredited by the American College of Radiology (ACR) for lung cancer screenings. To receive the CT scans, participants must meet all of the following criteria: • Must not have known nodules in the chest. • Be a current smoker or have quit within the last 15 years. • Must be asymptomatic (no symptoms of lung cancer). If you are experiencing symptoms, please see your primary care doctor or call 866-CENTRA7 (866-236-8727) for a referral. • Have smoked for 30 pack years or more (one pack a day for 30 years, two packs a day for 15 years, etc.) • Be age 55-80* (50-77 for Medicare patients). *Please contact your insurance company for age eligibility and coverage. Self-pay options are also available. Criteria for Lung Cancer Screening on patient care at CentraState. Dr. Bocage recommended that Loretta have surgery to remove the suspicious nodule. In July 2015, she was diagnosed with a Stage I tumor and the surgery was scheduled for a short time later. Dr. Bocage and his partner, fellow co-medical advisor of the Comprehensive Lung Care Program at CentraState, Robert Caccavale, MD, performed a left upper lobectomy using video-assisted thoracic surgery, or VATS. With this minimally invasive technique, the patient is operated on through four 1-inch incisions. Almost all patients can go home after one to two days in the hospital and can return to normal preoperative activity within two to three weeks. The Thoracic Group has been leading the development and promotion of this technology since the early 1990s. In Loretta's case, she only spent 24 hours in the hospital. Her recovery at home went as smoothly as the surgery. Before the first week was over, she was up doing laundry. By the second week, she went out for neighborhood walks and mall shopping trips. By week three, she returned to her job at Dr. Feingold's office. One year later, Loretta's follow-up CT scans show no sign of the cancer and her daily lung function was never affected. She did not need to undergo any further surgery or treatment with chemotherapy or radiation at all. Lung cancer is still the leading killer among both men and women in the United States. Screening in at-risk patients long before any symptoms appear greatly increases the chances of finding cancer early, when it's most treatable. Early detection has been shown to improve survival rates. Approximately 80 percent of patients who are diagnosed with Stage I lung cancer are still alive at five years after surgery treatment. "If it weren't for Dr. Feingold insisting on this screening, the cancer would have kept growing," Loretta says. "I feel genuinely grateful to everyone who was involved and that the experience was not frightening because it went exactly the way Dr. Bocage explained it would." For more information about CentraState's Comprehensive Lung Program, visit www.centrastate.com/lungcancer or call 866-CENTRA7 (866-236-8727). HD • Have a prescription for a low-dose CT scan for lung screening. If you are in need of a prescription, we can help you find a doctor and/or request an appointment. Participants will be screened yearly (assuming they continue to meet the criteria above). CT scans have an advantage over chest X-rays for lung cancer screening because they can detect cancer at its earliest stages, including tumors that are only 1 centimeter. Early detection of lung cancer can increase the five-year survivorship rate by 20 percent. Request a lung cancer screening today to find out if you are at risk. Please call 732-637-6365 for more information. HD 13 www.centrastate.com Fall 2016