As the most common cancer diagnosis in the world, lung cancer will be detected in nearly 220,000 people this year, according to the American Cancer Society. Lung cancer kills more people annually than breast, colon and pancreatic cancers combined.
Cigarette smoking is the most common cause of lung cancer. Other risk factors can include secondhand smoke, chronic lung disease, radon gas in the home and family history.
Common symptoms of lung cancer can include coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath and coughing up blood. To diagnose lung cancer, doctors may use biopsies, x-rays and CT scans.
While surgery or external-beam radiation therapy is considered a standard treatment for lung cancer, patients who are in poor general health or suffer from chronic pulmonary disease, like emphysema, may need to consider other options.
Our center offers a noninvasive form of treatment for lung cancer called stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT). This advanced procedure is provided using CyberKnife® technology. While the name may conjure images of knives and scalpels, CyberKnife treatment involves no incisions, no sedation and no overnight hospital stay. Lung tumors are treated with very precise, high-dose radiation beams while radiation exposure to healthy tissue surrounding a tumor is minimized.
Learn more about CyberKnife treatment here or request more information.