St. Joseph's Norton Thoracic Institute

Norton Thoracic Institute at Dignity Health St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center

Dedicated to diseases of the lungs, heart and esophagus

May 2014

$19 million

Historic gift launches world-class thoracic institute at St. Joseph’s

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t. Joseph’s Foundation has received the largest donation in its history, a $19-million gift that will help create one of the nation’s foremost centers for lung, heart and esophageal medicine at Dignity Health St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix. The gift from long-time Arizona philanthropists John and Doris Norton is one of the biggest ever given to any hospital in the state. “St. Joseph’s is the leading hospital in the Valley,” said John Norton, who was born at St. Joseph’s. St. Joseph’s will use the gift to expand the hospital’s highly acclaimed lung and esophageal programs, including the state’s only lung transplant program. Hospital leaders expect the new institute to become as nationally respected as St. Joseph’s Barrow Neurological Institute, one of the nation’s top brain and spine centers. The roots of the John and Doris Norton Cardiothoracic & Transplantation Institute stretch back to 2006 when gifts to St. Joseph’s Foundation enabled the hospital to recruit a talented team of lung specialists to the Valley. Since then, that team has developed thriving programs in lung transplantation, esophageal disease diagnosis and treatment, and lung disease diagnosis and treatment. With the Nortons’ gift, St. Joseph’s will take these programs to the Thoracic surgeon Michael Smith, MD, prepares to transplant lungs next level and develop needed cardelivered via a breathing lung system. St. Joseph’s participated in diac services. the INSPIRE clinical trial, which tested this new way of transport‘The Nortons’ gift ushers in a ing donated lungs. (See related story on page 2.) Smith was new phase in St. Joseph’s long hisnamed a top doctor in thoracic medicine by Phoenix Magazine. tory of healing in Arizona,” said Patty White, president and CEO of the hospital. “With this gift, we will greatly expand our services for people with heart, lung and esophageal diseases.” Research will be an important focus of Norton Thoracic Institute, particularly research into organ rejection among lung transplant patients and into improved treatments for lung and esophageal cancer. “Organ rejection, esophageal disease and lung cancer are big problems for many of the patients we see. With this gift, we will be able to expand our research into these and other problems,” said Dr. Ross Bremner, director of the institute. “We are also excited to be able to add new educational programs and to establish a telemedicine program that will give people throughout Arizona and the West access to cuttingedge care for esophageal, lung and heart disease.” Brian Mortenson, president and CEO of St. Joseph’s “With this gift, Foundation, stressed that the we will greatly Nortons’ generous gift is a lead gift in a larger fundraising efexpand our fort. “In the 1950s the Barrow services for family gave a lead gift of $1.1 million to launch the muchpeople with Thoracic surgeons operate neurological institute. heart, lung and needed on the organs within the Since then, thousands of others chest wall including lungs, esophageal have joined in their support and created heart and esophagus. the world-class Barrow Neurological Indiseases.” stitute. “With the Nortons’ amazing gift, we — Patty White will do the same thing in the field of cardiothoracic medicine. We so appreciate the Norton family for their faith in St. Joseph's and their commitment to the health of this community.”

Norton Thoracic Institute medical team: Samad Hashimi, MD, thoracic surgeon; Elbert Kuo, MD, thoracic surgeon; Brandi Krushelniski, BSN, lung transplant administrator; Rajat Walia, MD, pulmonologist; Ross Bremner, MD, thoracic surgeon and director, Norton Thoracic Institute; Jasmine Huang, MD, thoracic surgeon; Michael Smith, MD, thoracic surgeon. Not pictured: Ashraf Omar, MD, pulmonologist.

“I want to be here to raise my kids,” said Michele Lisee, shown here with daughter Jordan, 9; husband, Christopher; and son Sheehan, 11.

Lung transplant saves mother’s life by Drew Whitney

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ichele Lisee fought asthma with inhalers and medication for more than 12 years before finding out asthma wasn’t the cause of her breathing problems at all. The problem was much worse: Lisee’s heart was failing because of idiopathic pulmonary hypertension (PH). When diagnosed, Lisee, “They kept a mother of six children, was saying it was recovering from the unexplained stillborn birth of a asthma, but I daughter. Throughout the knew it was pregnancy, she had visited doctors and emergency worse.” rooms in search of an answer to her breathing problems. – Michele Lisee “They kept saying it was asthma, but I knew it was worse,” said Lisee. “I could barely breathe.”

Problems of the heart Finally, testing ordered by an ER doctor revealed that the arteries in Lisee’s lungs had become so narrow they were impeding blood flow. To compensate, the right side of her heart had gone into overdrive and become enlarged. While doctors couldn’t explain the cause of Lisee’s PH, they knew her situation was dire. At the time, Lisee and her family were also battling financial devastation. It was 2008, the economy had plummeted, Lisee had to stop working because of her health, and her husband’s construction business in Massachusetts had come to a standstill. They packed up their belongings and kids, and headed to Arizona. In 2012, doctors told Lisee that her only hope for survival was a lung transplant. She was referred to St. Joseph’s Hospital, home of Arizona’s only lung transplant center. Although it was highly unlikely that doctors would find a match for Lisee because of the high level of antibodies in her blood, the St. Joseph’s team agreed to try—and succeeded in beating the odds. “I can’t say enough about St. Joseph’s,” said Lisee. “When I got the call on Oct. 1, 2013, at 5:45 a.m., they had to tell me three times, ‘Michele, we have lungs for you,’ before it sank in.”

The best gift of all: new lungs Lisee is one of a growing number of patients to benefit from an experimental system for transporting donor lungs. The goal of the breathing lung system is to improve the health of donor lungs for better recipient outcomes. (See related story, page 2.) Six months after her successful surgery, Lisee is grateful for the time her lung transplant has given her. “I pray all the time that God will give me enough time to see my kids grow up.”

What’s Inside Are you at risk for esophageal disease? . . . . . . . . . . . .2 A second opinion could save your life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 How one Valley family is building a healthier future for Arizona . . . . . .3 Protect yourself against lung cancer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 St. Joseph’s Foundation 350 W. Thomas Road, Phoenix, AZ 85013 SupportStJosephs.org • 602-406-3041

Is your diet putting you at risk for esophageal disease?

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he incidence of esophageal cancer is increasing faster than any other cancer in the Western world—in large part because of drinking, smoking and obesity. From 1975 to 2000, esophageal disease increased 400%, and experts predict that by 2020, the disease could afflict more people than colorectal cancer. “Overeating, smoking and drinking alcohol can weaken the valve between the stomach and the esophagus, and, as a result, patients end up with bad gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD),” said Dr. Ross Bremner, director of Norton Thoracic Institute. The constant wash of acid that is the hallmark of GERD can alter the lining of the esophagus, causing Barrett’s esophagus, and, if that is not controlled, esophageal cancer can follow. Only 13% of people with esophageal cancer survive five years, one of the lowest of all cancer survival rates. Experts predict that 50% of Arizonans will be obese by 2020, putting them at risk for acid reflux disease.

“I’m a big proponent of what we call Barrett’s surveillance,” said Bremner. “If we endoscope patients with Barrett’s every year or two, we can watch the progression and, in most cases, prevent esophageal cancer.” Norton Thoracic Institute boasts many high-tech tools for the diagnosis of esophageal disease, including the Valley’s only confocal endomicroscopy, a powerful microscope used to diagnose esophageal cancer; high-resolution manometry to measure swallowing contractions; pH and impedance testing to determine how much reflux a patient is having; and dedicated continuous digital esophagography to provide a real-time movie of a patient’s swallowing. “Esophageal cancer is a tough disease,” said Bremner. “With John and Doris Norton’s generous gift, we plan to expand our research into earlier detection methods and improved treatments for this devastating disease.” Norton Thoracic Institute researchers are already working with University of Arizona researchers on techniques to prevent the progression of Barrett’s to esophageal cancer. “We are really excited about this collaboration,” said Bremner. “The best way to impact this disease will be through early detection and prevention, and that's where we will be concentrating our efforts.”

Did you know? • Esophageal cancer is rising faster than any other type of cancer in the Western world. • Uncontrolled acid reflux can lead to Barrett’s esophagus. People with Barrett’s have a 5-10% chance of developing cancer within 10 years. • The five-year survival rate for esophageal cancer is 13%, one of the lowest for any cancer. • Esophageal cancer symptoms include difficulty swallowing, unexplained weight loss, hoarseness, choking while eating, heartburn, coughing and chest pain, pressure and burning. National Institutes of Health

Jeffrey Heckel no longer battles nightly heartburn, thanks to a new laparoscopic procedure at Norton Thoracic Institute.

LINX: Turning down the heat of nightly heartburn by Melissa Frederick Morrison

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or Jeffrey Heckel, 51, battling heartburn became a nightly ordeal— with regular 2 a.m. wake-up calls from his burning chest. Prescription medicine worked for awhile, but when those failed to ease the pain, his gastroenterologist referred him to Dr. Ross Bremner at St. Joseph’s. Heckel, a UPS driver and father of four, had a small hiatal hernia, a gap that allowed his stomach to extend into his chest, causing reflux of gastric acid into his esophagus. Bremner decided to take a less-traditional surgical approach to solving the problem, and, in doing so, Heckel became the first St. Joseph’s patient to undergo the LINX procedure. “It is a new technology that offers a more physiologic approach to reflux disease than standard surgery,” Bremner said. “We are a center of excellence in esophageal disease and need to stay on the cutting edge.” LINX involves placing a small ring of magnetic titanium beads around the gateway between the esophagus and the stomach. “Remember when you were a kid, you had those candy necklaces? That’s what it is,” Heckel said. “It’s springy, so when you swallow and food goes down, it opens a little bit, then closes right up so food can’t come back up.” More significantly, stomach acid can’t either. Patients whose stomach contents are regularly regurgitated back into the esophagus are often diagnosed with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Aside from discomfort, GERD can lead to serious health problems, including ulcers, asthma exacerbations, pneumonia and, potentially, cancer. “In the GERD spectrum, mild disease is well controlled with medications, while very severe disease and large hiatal hernias need traditional surgery,” Bremner explained. “The LINX treatment approach is applicable to all those millions of Americans in

Breathing Lung Transplant

between the two ends of the spectrum of GERD.” While traditional surgery takes up to four hours, and recovering patients are restricted to a liquid diet for a week after, LINX is a one-hour “I don’t have that laparoconstant burning scopic in my chest proceanymore.” dure. Patients — Jeffrey Heckel can go home the next day and resume a normal diet immediately. Shortly after his August LINX procedure, Heckel told Bremner, “You know, there’s something missing. I don’t have that constant burning in my chest anymore.”

Dr. Ross Bremner, director of Norton Thoracic Institute, was the top vote-getter for thoracic disease in Phoenix Magazine’s 2014 Top Doctors issue.

Estelle Ellington, Arizona’s first breathing lung transplant recipient.

Testing a mini life-support system for lungs One in five lung transplant candidates dies waiting for a new organ, largely because donor lungs cannot survive for long outside the body. That’s why doctors at Norton Thoracic Institute of Dignity Health St. Joseph’s Hospital are focusing research efforts on the next phase of lung transplantation—learning to better preserve organs. St. Joseph’s is the only Arizona hospital involved in the INSPIRE, or “lung-ina-box” clinical trial. The trial focuses on TransMedics’ Organ Care System for keeping lungs “breathing” in a sterile plastic chamber while being transported from donor to recipient. “Instead of packing the lungs on ice, we are able to keep them warm with blood circulating through them and essentially breathing,” explained Dr. Michael Smith, surgical director of lung transplantation at Norton Thoracic Institute. “With this technology, we’re not only able to keep the lungs living while outside the body, but we’re also able to monitor and potentially improve lung function prior to transplant.” The INSPIRE clinical trial—conducted in the United States, Europe, Canada and Australia—compares the

condition of lungs transported via the new system to those transported using cold storage. Interim results indicate significant improvement in post-lung transplant clinical outcomes. The first Arizona breathing lung transplant was completed at St. Joseph’s in May 2013. Currently, the hospital is prepping for the next phase of the trial, EXPAND, aimed at using the new system to preserve and assess donor lungs that may not meet donor lung acceptance criteria. St. Joseph’s is one of only five medical centers invited to participate in EXPAND. “These devices may expand our donor pool by allowing us to use organs that otherwise would have been unusable,” said Smith. “Now, we could theoretically go as far as Hawaii to retrieve lungs.”

“These devices may expand our donor pool by allowing us to use organs that otherwise would have been unusable.” — Michael Smith, MD

Solving a mysterious lung ailment by Drew Whitney

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John and Doris Norton

Couple with deep roots in the Valley give back to the community they love by Drew Whitney

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ohn and Doris Norton’s historic $19- University of Arizona, the Phoenix Art million gift to St. Joseph’s FoundaMuseum and other Arizona nontion reflects the couple’s long profits. commitment to Dignity Health In 2006, they gifted $1 million to St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Cen- St. Joseph’s Foundation for the creation of the John and Doris Norton Healing ter—and their belief in the potential of the hospital’s thriving thoracic services. Garden—a one-acre outdoor sanctuary “We were compelled by the vision of with walking paths, colorful artwork, Dr. Bremner to contribute to the expan- sculptures, water features, flowers and sion of lung other desert and thoracic plants—built “We have planted the seed services and in the shadow research at and now invite the community of the Barrow St. Joseph’s,” Neuroscience to become actively involved said John. Tower. “The new inIn 2011, in growing this center into stitute will the couple quickly take contributed a world-class institute.” its place what was among the then the — John Norton few truly elite largest gift medical cenever made to ters of its kind anywhere.” St. Joseph’s Foundation—$4 million to The Nortons’ history with establish the Doris Norton Scholars St. Joseph’s stretches back to John’s program, providing scholarships for birth at the hospital in 1929. Seven third- and fourth-year students in the years later, the young Norton was raced Creighton University School of Medicine at St. Joseph’s Hospital. The folback to the hospital for a dramatic lowing year, they contributed another emergency tracheotomy, which saved $1.3 million to renovate a building on his life during a deadly bout with strep the St. Joseph’s-Creighton campus for throat. The couple birthed their two administrative offices, a student lounge sons and daughter at St. Joseph’s, and, in true family tradition, their grandchil- and gym. The Nortons said they are excited dren were born there as well. “St. Joseph’s is dear to my heart, and about the future of Norton Thoracic Institute. we’re proud to be part of St. Joseph’s “With this gift we are able to put this family,” said John, who has served on project into motion, but our gift is just the Barrow Neurological Foundation Board of Trustees and the St. Joseph’s the beginning,” said John. “We have Foundation Board of Directors. planted the seed and now invite the “We are blessed to be able to help community to become actively inthe hospital and its foundations,” volved in growing this center into a added Doris, who has been a member world-class institute.” of the Barrow Women’s Board since 1988. The Nortons are longtime community benefactors, supporting not only St. Joseph’s and Barrow but also the

The start of something big John and Doris Norton’s $19-million gift is the lead gift in a major fundraising effort to grow a worldclass cardiothoracic center at St. Joseph’s Hospital. Funds from this first gift will be invested in: • Recruitment of heart and lung specialists. • Launch of needed cardiac services, such as a heart-failure program. • Recruitment of nationally known scientists for expanded research into organ rejection, and lung and esophageal disease. • Creation of a publications department to report on the institute’s research findings internationally. • Development of a telemedicine program connecting St. Joseph's thoracic experts to doctors in rural areas.

Additional philanthropic gifts will be needed to build and sustain the Norton Thoracic Institute. To learn more, visit SupportStJosephs.org or call 602-406-3041.

efore February 2012, Shawna Hankins was on top of her game, rising at dawn for a rigorous boot camp regimen and jet-setting around the country for her job as a pharmaceutical sales manager. But then a rare autoimmune disease slowly took her breath away, literally. “I was very active,” said the mother of two, grandmother of one. “Then one day I was hiking in the mountains and was really short of breath. I knew something was wrong.” After treatment for severe bronchitis and pneumonia, Hankins’ lung capacity diminished, her muscles weakened, and her hands swelled to twice their normal size. She bounced from doctor to doctor before seeing a rheumatologist, who diagnosed her with a rare inflammatory disease known as polymyositis. When her condition worsened, Hankins’ mother insisted on a visit to Dr. Ross Bremner, director of Norton Thoracic Institute. Bremner knew that he and his partner Dr. Rajat Walia, medical director of lung transplantation and interstitial disease, could help. They discovered through a biopsy that Hankins Shawna Hankins continued hiking was suffering from interstitial lung dis- through a health crisis that caused diminished lung capacity, muscle ease, a rare autoimweakness and swelling. She is back mune disorder that on the trail after getting help at inflames and scars Norton Thoracic Instititue. the lungs. Hankins forced herself to continue exercising, pushing herself even harder when doctors hinted she might need a lung transplant. Instead, doctors chose to treat her condition with chemotherapy. She underwent her first round in January 2013. “I didn’t lose my hair, but it made me really sick. I still hiked all summer long. I never missed a day,” she said.

“If you think something isn’t right, be your own advocate. It’s okay to get a second opinion because it’s your life.” — Rajat Walia, MD

By the end of summer, Hankins got the best news she’d heard in a long time: Her lung capacity had returned to nearly normal. “I still have good days and bad days, but the key components that made me healthier were the chemo and the exercise,” she explained. Walia said Hankins’ determination to find answers paid off. “As a transplant center, part of what we do is determine whether a patient has a treatable disease and can avoid a lung transplant. If you think something isn’t right, be your own advocate. It’s okay to get a second opinion because it’s your life.” Hankins has yet to return to boot camp, but continues to hike, exercising the same determination that made her a rising star in the pharmaceutical industry. She is extremely grateful for the care she received. “Everyone at St. Joe’s treated me like family,” she said. “It’s the best care I’ve ever had.”

Norton Thoracic Institute Number of lung transplants per year 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 2011

2012

2013

Improving our community’s health through philanthropy St. Joseph’s Foundation is a non-profit support foundation dedicated to raising funds for St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix, Arizona. Since 1895 when St. Joseph’s was founded, philanthropic gifts have funded new facilities, clinical services, medical education programs, technology, community outreach and research. For information on supporting Norton Thoracic Institute, contact St. Joseph’s Foundation at 602-4063041 or visit SupportStJosephs.org.

Norton gift helps grow cardiac services

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Dr. Elbert Kuo, director of lung cancer screening at Norton Thoracic Institute, urges people at risk for lung cancer to get a low-dose CT scan. Kuo, who was named a 2014 top doctor by Phoenix Magazine, recently testified before Congress about the importance of lung cancer screening.

Early detection reduces lung cancer deaths by 20%

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very 2.5 minutes, someone in the United States is diagnosed with lung cancer, which kills more people in our country than any other cancer—more than colon, breast, prostate and pancreatic cancer combined. Only 16% of those diagnosed with lung cancer survive five years or longer—largely because most people have no symptoms until the disease has progressed to Stage 3 or 4. But there is hope for people at risk for lung cancer. Patients whose cancer is discovered early, before it has spread beyond the lungs, have a much higher five-year survival rate—85% instead of 16%. Doctors and researchers have learned that screening for lung cancer can save more than 70,000 lives annually.

ith one out of every four deaths caused inoperable, this procedure holds new hope for by heart disease, the need for quality car- treatment,” said McShay. diac services continues to be a major priority for hospitals throughout Arizona. Over the “The vision for St. Joseph’s last year, Dignity Health St. Joseph’s Hospital is to be a destination cardiohas launched an initiative to develop specialized cardiac services needed by our commuthoracic hospital that is on nity—especially in the areas of heart failure, the cutting edge of research.” rhythm disorders, valve problems and adult congenital heart disease. John and Doris — Kristi McShay Norton’s gift to establish the Norton Thoracic Institute will support these efforts. “A portion of the Norton gift is being set Heart-failure specialist Dr. Anatharam V. aside to develop and advance treatment proKalya joined St. Joseph’s several months ago grams for cardiac disease at St. Joseph’s,” said to establish a program for patients with heart Kristi McShay, vice president, thoracic and failure, a condition that affects one in every cardiovascular business development. “The five adults. Dr. Kalya was formerly assistant vision for St. Joseph’s is to be a destination car- professor of medicine for Mayo Clinic’s Coldiothoracic hoslege of Medicine pital that is on and senior assothe cutting edge ciate of advanced consultant for treatment and the division of research.” cardiovascular In March, a diseases at Mayo team led by carClinic, Scottsdiovascular surdale. geons Kevin Several new Brady, MD, cardiac facilities Hursh Naik, MD, St. Joseph’s recently added new state-of-the-art have been added the hospital. and Mitchell to electrophysiology labs. Ross, MD, perNew state-offormed St. Joseph’s first transfemoral aortic the-art electrophysiology labs have opened to valve replacement (TAVR) procedures to reprovide advanced diagnosis and treatment for pair the aortic valves of two patients. TAVR is a rhythm disorders, and a new hybrid operating new FDA-approved minimally invasive proce- room is being constructed. Scheduled to open dure reserved for high-risk patients who are this summer, the hybrid room will be used poor candidates for traditional open heart both for catheterizations and TAVR procesurgery due to age or other issues. dures. During TAVR, surgeons insert a replaceFor more information about St. Joseph’s ment valve inside the poorly functioning growing cardiac services, call 1-877-602-4111. valve, similar to placing a stent in an artery. Once the new valve expands, it pushes the old valve away and takes over the job of regulating blood flow. “For patients who are high risk or

Cracking down on lung cancer

St. Joseph’s researcher ‘tricks’ and kills off deadly cells

“Lung cancer screening is the next big step in the battle. It’s like mammography for breast cancer.” — Elbert Kuo, MD According to the National Cancer Institute (NCI), scientists found a 20% reduction in lung cancer deaths in patients screened with lowdose computed tomography (CT) instead of standard chest X-rays. The NCI’s research prompted the lung specialists at Norton Thoracic Institute to develop a lung cancer screening program for high-risk patients—heavy-smoking, older adults. The low-dose CT scan is reviewed by a multidisciplinary lung cancer panel. St. Joseph’s has screened more than 250 patients since the launch of the program in September 2011. The program has been recognized by the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer as a best practice model. “One of the most impressive outcomes of our program is the lifestyle modifications made by patients who are screened,” said Kuo. “These people receive extensive smoking-cessation counseling during their physician review of the results. During a follow-up survey one year after their initial screening, 86% who were active smokers had either quit or cut back, 35% of all participants had adopted a low-fat diet, and 44% were exercising more.” For information on the screening program, call 1-855-LUNG-SCREEN (586-4727).

Did you know? • Lung cancer is the most common cause of death, killing more than breast, prostate, colon and pancreatic cancers combined. • Worldwide, 1.3 million people die of lung cancer each year. • Only 16% of diagnosed patients live five years or longer. • Smoking causes nearly 9 out of 10 cases of lung cancer in men, 8 out of 10 in women. Other risk factors include secondhand smoke, family history and environmental exposure to radon, asbestos and toxic industrial chemicals. American Cancer Society

Dr. Landon Inge says that lung cancer cells subvert the immune system to help lung tumors grow. As a result, cells that are intended to defend the body against mutations actually help tumors invade it. Inge and his team are working to outwit cancer cells.

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ancer researcher Dr. Landon Inge of Norton Thoracic Institute at Dignity Health St. Joseph’s Hospital has learned a few tricks to make some cancer cells disappear, using a genetic mutation as his sidekick. Through his research, Inge has learned that certain lung cancers can make a body’s immune system traitorous. Inge discovered that patients lacking a specific tumor-suppressor gene, known as LKB1, are far more susceptible to having their immune system conned into helping cancer cells proliferate. In other words, when there is a mutation in the LKB1 gene, the immune system is more likely to be hijacked. “We have very tangible evidence that loss of LKB1 in non-small cell lung cancer cells results in these cells subverting the immune system and reprogramming immune cells to aid the tumor’s growth,” said Inge. Currently, his team is collaborating with researchers at Ari-

zona State University to “clearly describe how LKB1-deficient cells do this, as well as exploring drugs that can inhibit this mechanism.” Several years ago, Inge identified a medication that can outwit the dastardly cancer cells by pretending to be an edible sugar, when, in fact, it is only an indigestible decoy designed to starve the cancer cells to death. The drug may also prevent lung cancer from spreading to other organs. “We are beginning efforts to identify new drugs and combinations of drugs that can enhance the killing of tumor cells,” he added. Developing cancer-killing medications is just one of many goals for Inge, whose lab also grows cancer cell lines and supplies them to other research institutions. Plus, Inge is on the hunt to identify better and more treatments for esophageal cancers, which are predicted to skyrocket in the next decade.

Lung screening saves lives The U.S. Preventative Services Task Force recommends annual low-dose CT screenings for adults ages 55 to 80 who have smoked one pack of cigarettes a day for 30 years (or two packs a day for 15 years) and currently smoke or have quit within the last 15 years. For more information on the lung cancer screening program at Norton Thoracic Institute, call 855-LUNG-SCREEN (586-4727).

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