Lung Cancer

Our Lady of the Lake’s Incidental Lung Nodule Program

Our Lady of the Lake Cancer Institute is helping to identify more patients with lung cancer at earlier stages, often even before they experience symptoms. Every week a multidisciplinary team of experts gathers to review CT scans with lung nodules that were taken for some other reason, such as a scan of the abdomen for another condition. If lung nodules were noticed in those scans, this team will discuss next steps, such as ongoing monitoring of the patient or plans for a biopsy or more testing. Since starting in spring 2021, the program has identified many patients with lung cancer earlier and put them on a path for recovery.

Accessing a screening can happen through a referral from your primary care provider or connecting with our lung coordinator at (225) 765-3030.

St. Dominic's Hospital is designated as a Screening Center of Excellence by the Lung Cancer Alliance, offering lung cancer screenings for individuals with a high risk for lung cancer. The screenings include:

• Initial RN consult and risk assessment
• Low dose CT scan (without contrast)
• RAD score results within 24-48 hours
• Connection to St. Dominic’s multidisciplinary team for thoracic oncology (radiologist, pulmonologist, thoracic surgery, pathologist, medical oncologist, radiation oncologist, primary care network) 

For additional questions, please call (601) 200-2787.

Our Lady of Lourdes JD Moncus Cancer Center is helping to identify more patients with lung cancer at earlier stages, often even before they experience symptoms. Every week a multidisciplinary team of experts gathers to review CT scans that were taken for some other reason, such as a scan of the abdomen for another condition. If lung nodules were noticed in those scans, this team will discuss next steps, such as ongoing monitoring of the patient or plans for a biopsy, additional testing and follow-up care.

Discover more about our:

• Imaging & Screening
• Services Treatment Options

For additional questions, please call (337) 470-SCAN(7226). 

The Northeast Louisiana Cancer Institute, located just around the block from the St. Francis Medical Center main campus, provides state-of-the-art radiation oncology close to home. St. Francis is proud to be a joint venture partner of the Northeast Louisiana Cancer Institute.

St. Francis Oncology & Hematology Clinic provides medical oncology services through these three providers: Dr. Scott Barron, Dr. Coy Gammage and Dr. Barry Weinberger (link to their profiles).

Accessing a low-dose CT screening for lung cancer can happen through a referral from your primary care physician.

• Smoking is the leading risk factor for lung cancer. 80%-90% of lung cancer deaths are linked to cigarette smoking.
• Breathing second-hand smoke is also risky, as if you were smoking yourself.
• Radon can sometimes be found in homes. Breathing in high levels can expose you to small amounts of radiation.
• People exposed to large amounts of asbestos also have a greater risk of developing mesothelioma, a type of lung cancer.
• Your risk of lung cancer may be higher if your parents, siblings or children have had lung cancer.

Lung cancer includes two main types: non-small cell lung cancer and small cell lung cancer.

Types of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

• Squamous cell carcinoma
• Large cell carcinoma
• Adenocarcinoma

Types of Small Cell Lung Cancer

• Small cell carcinoma
• Combined small cell carcinoma

Getting screened for lung cancer is critical, as finding the cancer at an earlier stage improves outcomes.

A lung cancer screening is a non-invasive, low-dose CT scan. Other regular cancer screenings, such as colonoscopies and mammograms, involve discomfort, but a lung cancer screening only involves lying still for a few minutes.

Such scans may detect small lung nodules, or lesions, that cannot be diagnosed as clearly benign or clearly cancerous. These lesions, known as indeterminate nodules, typically require follow-up with repeated CT scans, a biopsy or even surgery.

Most early-stage lung cancers are completely asymptomatic, which is why screening is so important! Screenings happen before symptoms arise. There are three major criteria to identify who may be at highest risk of developing lung cancer and therefore should be screened:

• Between the ages 50 and 80
• Actively smoking at that age or quit smoking within the last 15 years
• Someone who has smoked an average of a pack per day for 20 years or more

Accessing a screening can happen through a referral from your primary care physician.

For non-small cell lung cancer:

• Surgery, including state-of-the-art robotic tumor removal surgery
• Radiation therapy
• Chemotherapy
• Targeted therapy
• Immunotherapy

For small cell lung cancer:

• Surgery, including state-of-the-art robotic tumor removal surgery
• Chemotherapy
• Radiation therapy
• Immunotherapy

New types of treatment are being tested in clinical trials, and patients may want to think about taking part in such trials. Patients can enter clinical trials before, during or after starting their cancer treatment.

Find out more here.