Importance of Detecting Lung Cancer Early Louisville, KY

It is important to detect lung cancer early because it affects long term survival of patients.

If we can diagnose a cancer in the earliest of stages, the chance of cure approaches ninety percent.

We at Baptist Health decided that we were going to focus on diagnosing patients earlier, and that's where some of our newer technology such as ion bronchoscopy or robotic bronchoscopy allows us to biopsy smaller and smaller and smaller nodules. It's a special platform that uses a robot and GPS technology just like is in your car, except it's based on a CT scan. And in conjunction with the three d c arm or cone beam c arm, we are able to accurately biopsy nodules as small as six millimeters over the entirety of the surface of the lung. Once nodules approach a centimeter, that changes their stage.

And if we can accurately diagnose nodules that are less than a centimeter, we have given that patient the best chance for cure. And so I am so excited because that allows me to accurately diagnose patients at a much earlier stage and get them treated.