special feature
Screening for Lung Cancer t The screening criteria match those followed in a single large study known as the National Lung Screening Trial, published in 2011 in the New England Journal of Medicine, which found a 20 percent lower risk of death from lung cancer among more than 26,000 people screened with low-dose CT annually for three years, compared to those who were tested with chest radiographs instead.
t A panel of Stanford lung cancer experts will discuss the newest approaches to lung cancer treatment and lung cancer screening at 7 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 15, at the Francis C. Arrillaga Alumni Center, 326 Galvez St., on the Stanford campus. Seating is limited; pre-registration is encouraged. To register, call (650) 498-7826. t The leading cause of cancer death, lung cancer kills about 160,000 people in America each year, and 1.3 million worldwide. An estimated 225,000 Americans will be diagnosed with the disease this year. Eighty-five to 90 percent will have a history of smoking. Unfortunately, lung cancer is most often not diagnosed until its later stages, which increases the difficulty of successful treatment. t This spring, the American College of Chest Physicians and the American Society for Clinical Oncology endorsed new CT lung cancer screening guidelines. Screening is recommended for people age 50 and over with a 20-pack year history of smoking and one additional risk factor. Those risk factors include exposure to radon and several other carcinogenic chemicals, family history of lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or previous personal history of cancer.
Symptoms of Lung Cancer Lung cancer usually does not cause symptoms when it first develops. A cough is the most common symptom of lung cancer. The following are the common symptoms for lung cancer; however each individual may experience them differently. t Bloody or rust colored sputum t Shortness of breath
t Recurring lung infections such as pneumonia or bronchitis
t Wheezing
t Hoarseness
t Chest pain
t Fever for unknown reason
For more information about lung cancer screening, diagnosis and treatment, visit stanfordhospital.org/lungcancermonth or phone (650) 498-6000. Join us at http://stanfordhospital.org/socialmedia. Watch the new Stanford Hospital Health Notes television show on Comcast: channel 28 on Mondays at 8:30 p.m., Tuesdays at 3:30 p.m. and Fridays at 8:30 a.m.; channel 30 Saturdays at 10:30 p.m. It can also be viewed at www.youtube.com/stanfordhospital.
“We can make three-dimensional moving pictures so we can adjust the radiation beams to turn on only at a certain portion of the breathing cycle, and we can track tumors as they move.” – Billy W. Loo Jr., MD, PhD, Stanford Cancer Institute program leader in thoracic radiation oncology Keeping the radiation contained just to cancerous areas means fewer side effects; in the past, many patients who hain the past, many patients who received radiation to the chest experienced such damage to the esophagus
“I did get a reprieve for however long that might be—and it’s given me so much.”
that they could not swallow without difficulty and needed temporary feeding tubes. “Since implementing focused radiation techniques for lung cancer at Stanford I’ve never had to place a feeding tube in a patient,” Loo said. “That’s a dramatic change from the past.”
– Tony Ricciardi, patient, Stanford Hospital & Clinics
The newer radiation machines can also deliver more radiation in a short period of time, which reduces the number of dosage sessions. But that intensity of dose makes it all the more important that the target is hit accurately. “In the lungs we’re aiming at moving targets,” Loo said. “That’s a technical challenge. We have to be able to see how the tumors are moving—and advances in imaging technology allow us to do that. We can make threedimensional moving pictures so we can adjust the radiation beams to turn on only at a certain portion of the breathing cycle, and we can track tumors as they move.”
A Solid Future Even in the short time since Ricciardi’s treatment was completed, new advances have become available. If he arrived at Stanford now, his cancer cells would be analyzed with greater molecular detail and typed for their response to chemotherapies designed to attack certain gene mutations or cellular growth factors. “We now know that almost every tumor is going to have one of these specific molecular changes,” Wakelee said, “and as we get smarter, and add more knowledge, we’re able to define that in more and more patients.” Ricciardi is still rather amazed at his survival, now four years since complet-
Norbert von der Groeben
nics for an aggressive treatment that combined chemotherapy with radiation, an approach that studies have shown ncologist, Heather Wakelee (center photo), Cancer Center clinic assistants Cornelius Smith (left) and Mary Arroyo (right).
In the past, Ricciardi might have received just radiation or just chemotherapy; by treating him with both at the same time, he became someone who represents “the best outcomes we’ve seen to date,” Loo said.
Norbert von der Groeben
and an expert in image-guided focused radiation therapy. “The main changes have been in the way we can focus the radiation from many different directions. We can focus so precisely that we minimize the spillover radiation to healthy surrounding organs.”
“I haven’t done any victory dances,” Ricciardi said, “but I did get a reprieve for however long that might be—and it’s given me so much.” ing radiation and chemotherapy. “The echo of that guy’s voice still rings in my ears,” he said. “I haven’t done any victory dances, but I did get a reprieve for however long that might be—and it’s given me so much.”
Stanford Hospital & Clinics is known worldwide for advanced treatment of complex disorders in areas such as cardiovascular care, cancer treatment, neurosciences, surgery, and organ transplants. It is currently ranked No. 17 on the U.S. News & World Report’s “America’s Best Hospitals” list and No. 1 in the San Jose Metropolitan area. Stanford Hospital & Clinics is internationally recognized for translating medical breakthroughs into the care of patients. The Stanford University Medical Center is comprised of three world renowned institutions: Stanford Hospital & Clinics, the Stanford University School of Medicine, the oldest medical school in the Western United States, and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, an adjacent pediatric teaching hospital providing general acute and tertiary care. For more information, visit stanfordhospital.org.
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