Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the U.S. At City of Hope, reducing this statistic is our top priority.
Listen to City of Hope Radio as Dr. Dan Raz MD. co-director of City of Hope's Lung Cancer and Thoracic Oncology Program and director of the Lung Cancer Screening Program, sorts out facts about lung cancer and smoking, the benefits of and who qualifies for a new screening option, and what innovative treatments are available to treat this deadly disease.
Selected Podcast
Lung Cancer: New Screening and Advanced Treatment Options
Featured Speaker:
Dan J. Raz, M.D.
Dan J. Raz, M.D., is a surgical oncology expert in esophageal and lung cancer surgery. Currently, he serves as Co-director of the Lung Cancer and Thoracic Oncology Program and Director of the Lung Cancer Screening Program at City of Hope. His research involves novel lung cancer therapies and biomarkers, as well as research on improving access to and quality of lung cancer screening. Transcription:
Lung Cancer: New Screening and Advanced Treatment Options
Melanie Cole (Host): Having a lung cancer screening, chest CT, reduces the chance of dying from lung cancer by 20 percent in those with very high risk of developing lung cancer. My guest is Dr. Dan Raz. He’s the co-director of Lung Cancer and Thoracic Oncology Program and the Director of the Lung Cancer Screening Program at City of Hope. Welcome to the show, Dr. Raz. Why should people get screened for lung cancer and who should get screened?
Dr. Dan Raz (Guest): Thanks for having me. Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer just by far in the United States and worldwide. It kills more people than any other cancer in white people, African Americans, Latinos, Asian Americans, so it’s important to everyone. The reason it’s the major cancer killer is that most of the time it’s found when the cancer has already spread throughout the body. When we are fortunate enough to catch it early so that we can cure lung cancer, we usually find it by accident. But now with lung cancer screening, we can find lung cancer early when it can be treated and when it can be cured. The people who should talk to their doctors about lung cancer screening are people who are current or former smokers. So there are several different guidelines but the most common guidelines are for people between the ages of 55 and 80 who've smoked at least 30 years of cigarettes.
Melanie: Wow. So, people checked with their doctors about lung cancer screening, what's involved in the process?
Dr. Raz: It's very easy. It's a painless scan that takes just a few seconds. There is no IVs that need to be inserted. You only need to take off your shirt or anything like that. You lay down in the scanner and you hold your breath and it’s a very quick scan. The amount of radiation that's used is very, very low. It's about the same amount of radiation that's used in a mammogram.
Melanie: And what are the results look like to you, Dr. Raz? What would you see that would signal the risk for lung cancer?
Dr. Raz: What we are looking for are nodules. Nodules are spots on the lung that are not normally there. Most of the time, when you scan people, many people have nodules that aren’t even cancerous but some of those do turn into cancer. We have very specific ways of figuring out which nodules are cancerous, which nodules aren't cancerous, without having to do invasive testing like biopsies. So, we've become very sophisticated at figuring out which people need additional testing, whereas other people may just need to get a repeat CT scan in several months or even at a year’s time. So, we have a very good system of looking at the scans and understanding who is at higher risk for lung cancer. We also find things on lung cancer screening other than lung cancer that are tobacco-related, such as coronary artery disease or emphysema that people may not even realize that they have.
Melanie: What are some of the biggest developments at City of Hope in treating lung cancer?
Dr. Raz: I think one of the major advances in addition to lung cancer screening has been the advent of minimally invasive and robotic surgery for lung cancer that's allowed us to treat people in a way that they can turn to their normal life, return to work very quickly. It’s allowed us to treat patients who are elderly without setting them back, without them losing their independence. We’ve also developed new techniques for radiation therapy that allow us to treat patients who normally wouldn't have been able to undergo any kind of treatment for lung cancer. Then for more advanced lung cancers, we have very advanced and sophisticated clinical trials using targeted treatments. They're based on the actual changes within the cancer itself.
Melanie: Dr. Raz, what sets City of Hope apart in treating lung cancer?
Dr. Raz: I really think there is nowhere else like City of Hope for lung cancer for a couple of reasons. First, every cancer patient here lives and breathes lung cancer. We only treat lung cancer patients. I am a surgeon who specializes in lung cancer. Our cancer doctors are lung cancer specialists. We are focused on not only providing cutting edge care but also on quality of life and really treating patients holistically. I think patients who get treated here not only benefit from the scientific advances but also feel a nurturing environment and really get the best, in terms of their quality of life.
Melanie: Speak about some of the lung cancer research program studies that you are doing there at City of Hope.
Dr. Raz: Well, we have a number of clinical trials looking at new treatments for lung cancers that are very promising. We also are investigating new treatments like a derivative of a Chinese herb for lung cancer treatment, and we have extensive research on quality of life in lung cancer patients, trying to figure out, how do we make treatment for lung cancer better in terms of not just extending life but improving quality of life along the way?
Melanie: Tell the listeners. You mentioned about why they should get screened, but speak about some lifestyle modifications, prevention, risk factors for lung cancers, so that you could affect them right now and maybe they don't have to come see you.
Dr. Raz: Sure. Well, anyone can get lung cancer. That's one thing that’s important to know. There is such a stigma with lung cancer with regards to smoking but even people who have never smoked cigarettes can get lung cancer, and we see patients like that unfortunately time and time again. But quitting smoking if you are currently smoking, not starting to smoke if you’re kind of just early in the habit, is the most important thing that you can do to prevent lung cancer. There’s a lot of interest in electronic cigarettes and what that means in terms of lung cancer risk and we just don't know right now. Electronic cigarettes unfortunately have many, many chemicals in the vapor, and so there are a lot of misperceptions about electronic cigarettes being just water or vapor when they're not. I don't think we'll be able to answer that question for many, many years, but in terms of being proactive about your health, quitting smoking if you currently smoke and getting a lung cancer screening, CT, are the most important things to do currently.
Melanie: And what might send somebody to see you? Just give a few symptoms, and then in the last minute tell people why they should come to City of Hope for their lung cancer care.
Dr. Raz: Symptoms of lung cancer are cough that doesn't go away for several weeks, coughing up blood, unexplained weight loss. Those are some of the more common symptoms of lung cancer. Unfortunately, as I mentioned before, most early stage of lung cancers that we can cure don't cause any symptoms at all, which is why screening is so important. I think the reason to come to City of Hope, again, first, for your lung cancer, is that we are all lung cancer experts here. We know the least and greatest. Our surgeons here, including myself, do robotic and minimally invasive surgery for lung cancer. We have cutting edge radiation oncology techniques for patients who aren’t eligible for surgery. In terms of oncology care, we have just a number of clinical trials and quality-of-life trials that allow patients to have access to drugs they otherwise wouldn't have access to. As I mentioned before, City of Hope is just such a special place, and that no other place that I've been to combines cutting-edge treatment with such a nurturing environment that focuses on the quality of life and the patient as a whole as City of Hope does.
Melanie: That's why it's so important to get screened for lung cancer at City of Hope because it can increase the chance of diagnosing lung cancer at an early stage when it is more likely to be cured. You’re listening to City of Hope Radio. For more information you can go to cityofhope.org. That's cityofhope.org. This is Melanie Cole. Thanks so much for listening.
Lung Cancer: New Screening and Advanced Treatment Options
Melanie Cole (Host): Having a lung cancer screening, chest CT, reduces the chance of dying from lung cancer by 20 percent in those with very high risk of developing lung cancer. My guest is Dr. Dan Raz. He’s the co-director of Lung Cancer and Thoracic Oncology Program and the Director of the Lung Cancer Screening Program at City of Hope. Welcome to the show, Dr. Raz. Why should people get screened for lung cancer and who should get screened?
Dr. Dan Raz (Guest): Thanks for having me. Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer just by far in the United States and worldwide. It kills more people than any other cancer in white people, African Americans, Latinos, Asian Americans, so it’s important to everyone. The reason it’s the major cancer killer is that most of the time it’s found when the cancer has already spread throughout the body. When we are fortunate enough to catch it early so that we can cure lung cancer, we usually find it by accident. But now with lung cancer screening, we can find lung cancer early when it can be treated and when it can be cured. The people who should talk to their doctors about lung cancer screening are people who are current or former smokers. So there are several different guidelines but the most common guidelines are for people between the ages of 55 and 80 who've smoked at least 30 years of cigarettes.
Melanie: Wow. So, people checked with their doctors about lung cancer screening, what's involved in the process?
Dr. Raz: It's very easy. It's a painless scan that takes just a few seconds. There is no IVs that need to be inserted. You only need to take off your shirt or anything like that. You lay down in the scanner and you hold your breath and it’s a very quick scan. The amount of radiation that's used is very, very low. It's about the same amount of radiation that's used in a mammogram.
Melanie: And what are the results look like to you, Dr. Raz? What would you see that would signal the risk for lung cancer?
Dr. Raz: What we are looking for are nodules. Nodules are spots on the lung that are not normally there. Most of the time, when you scan people, many people have nodules that aren’t even cancerous but some of those do turn into cancer. We have very specific ways of figuring out which nodules are cancerous, which nodules aren't cancerous, without having to do invasive testing like biopsies. So, we've become very sophisticated at figuring out which people need additional testing, whereas other people may just need to get a repeat CT scan in several months or even at a year’s time. So, we have a very good system of looking at the scans and understanding who is at higher risk for lung cancer. We also find things on lung cancer screening other than lung cancer that are tobacco-related, such as coronary artery disease or emphysema that people may not even realize that they have.
Melanie: What are some of the biggest developments at City of Hope in treating lung cancer?
Dr. Raz: I think one of the major advances in addition to lung cancer screening has been the advent of minimally invasive and robotic surgery for lung cancer that's allowed us to treat people in a way that they can turn to their normal life, return to work very quickly. It’s allowed us to treat patients who are elderly without setting them back, without them losing their independence. We’ve also developed new techniques for radiation therapy that allow us to treat patients who normally wouldn't have been able to undergo any kind of treatment for lung cancer. Then for more advanced lung cancers, we have very advanced and sophisticated clinical trials using targeted treatments. They're based on the actual changes within the cancer itself.
Melanie: Dr. Raz, what sets City of Hope apart in treating lung cancer?
Dr. Raz: I really think there is nowhere else like City of Hope for lung cancer for a couple of reasons. First, every cancer patient here lives and breathes lung cancer. We only treat lung cancer patients. I am a surgeon who specializes in lung cancer. Our cancer doctors are lung cancer specialists. We are focused on not only providing cutting edge care but also on quality of life and really treating patients holistically. I think patients who get treated here not only benefit from the scientific advances but also feel a nurturing environment and really get the best, in terms of their quality of life.
Melanie: Speak about some of the lung cancer research program studies that you are doing there at City of Hope.
Dr. Raz: Well, we have a number of clinical trials looking at new treatments for lung cancers that are very promising. We also are investigating new treatments like a derivative of a Chinese herb for lung cancer treatment, and we have extensive research on quality of life in lung cancer patients, trying to figure out, how do we make treatment for lung cancer better in terms of not just extending life but improving quality of life along the way?
Melanie: Tell the listeners. You mentioned about why they should get screened, but speak about some lifestyle modifications, prevention, risk factors for lung cancers, so that you could affect them right now and maybe they don't have to come see you.
Dr. Raz: Sure. Well, anyone can get lung cancer. That's one thing that’s important to know. There is such a stigma with lung cancer with regards to smoking but even people who have never smoked cigarettes can get lung cancer, and we see patients like that unfortunately time and time again. But quitting smoking if you are currently smoking, not starting to smoke if you’re kind of just early in the habit, is the most important thing that you can do to prevent lung cancer. There’s a lot of interest in electronic cigarettes and what that means in terms of lung cancer risk and we just don't know right now. Electronic cigarettes unfortunately have many, many chemicals in the vapor, and so there are a lot of misperceptions about electronic cigarettes being just water or vapor when they're not. I don't think we'll be able to answer that question for many, many years, but in terms of being proactive about your health, quitting smoking if you currently smoke and getting a lung cancer screening, CT, are the most important things to do currently.
Melanie: And what might send somebody to see you? Just give a few symptoms, and then in the last minute tell people why they should come to City of Hope for their lung cancer care.
Dr. Raz: Symptoms of lung cancer are cough that doesn't go away for several weeks, coughing up blood, unexplained weight loss. Those are some of the more common symptoms of lung cancer. Unfortunately, as I mentioned before, most early stage of lung cancers that we can cure don't cause any symptoms at all, which is why screening is so important. I think the reason to come to City of Hope, again, first, for your lung cancer, is that we are all lung cancer experts here. We know the least and greatest. Our surgeons here, including myself, do robotic and minimally invasive surgery for lung cancer. We have cutting edge radiation oncology techniques for patients who aren’t eligible for surgery. In terms of oncology care, we have just a number of clinical trials and quality-of-life trials that allow patients to have access to drugs they otherwise wouldn't have access to. As I mentioned before, City of Hope is just such a special place, and that no other place that I've been to combines cutting-edge treatment with such a nurturing environment that focuses on the quality of life and the patient as a whole as City of Hope does.
Melanie: That's why it's so important to get screened for lung cancer at City of Hope because it can increase the chance of diagnosing lung cancer at an early stage when it is more likely to be cured. You’re listening to City of Hope Radio. For more information you can go to cityofhope.org. That's cityofhope.org. This is Melanie Cole. Thanks so much for listening.