In an effort to diagnose lung cancer earlier – when it is easier to treat – Memorial Hermann Southeast Hospital has opened the Lung Nodule Clinic. The Clinic is unique in that it offers a multidisciplinary approach to treating the patient. A multidisciplinary team consists of your primary care physician along with an affiliated pulmonologist, medical oncologist, radiologist, radiation oncologist, pathologist, thoracic surgeon and a Memorial Hermann oncology nurse navigator, who coordinate your care to give you the best possible outcomes while keeping you informed.
Catching Cancer Before Symptoms Start
Catching Cancer Before Symptoms StartIdentified by a computerized tomography (CT) scan or chest X-ray, a lung nodule is an abnormal growth on the lung that may be cancerous. If a patient’s primary care physician finds a nodule, the patient is referred to the Lung Nodule Clinic to determine the diagnosis. At the Clinic, patients are tested to find out if their nodules are benign (noncancerous) or malignant (cancerous). “The earlier lung nodules are spotted and lung cancer is diagnosed, the more treatment options there are – and the better the outcome,” says Krystie Fenton, R.N., certified oncology nurse navigator at Memorial Hermann Southeast. “When patients are examined in the Clinic, lung cancer can be diagnosed before symptoms begin.”
If possible lung cancer is found, the multidisciplinary team meets to discuss the best path of care for the patient, who is then referred for treatment. If the nodule is benign, the patient is monitored for any future warning signs of lung cancer.
Technology Offers Doctors Bird’s-Eye View
Technology Offers Doctors Bird’s-Eye ViewMemorial Hermann Southeast is one of only a handful of hospitals in the Houston area that offer the iLogic ENB system. This advanced technology uses GPS-like guidance during a patient’s CT scan to create a 3-D image of the lungs, allowing physicians to locate, test and plan treatment for lung lesions and lymph nodes difficult to access with traditional bronchoscopy. Lung cancer can be detected even before symptoms are evident, enhancing patient treatment options.
Could iLogic™ benefit you or a loved one? The Memorial Hermann Southeast Lung Nodule Clinic is located at 11920 Astoria Blvd., Suite 100. Physician referral is required. To schedule, have your physician call 281.481.LUNG (5864).
