New Technology Helps Diagnose Lung Cancer at Silver Cross Hospital

Pulmonologist Dr. Kristopher McDonough is the first physician in Will and Grundy Counties to use electromagnetic navigational bronchoscopy technology to diagnose cancer in hard to reach areas of the lung at Silver Cross Hospital.

By Tracy Simons | Silver Cross Hospital

Silver Cross is the only hospital in Will and Grundy counties to offer a new procedure that allows pulmonologists to better locate and test small, hard-to-reach abnormalities in the lungs, called nodules, without surgery. These nodules can be cancerous and if found early, can be successfully removed or treated.

The minimally invasive procedure, called electromagnetic navigational bronchoscopy (ENB), helps physicians navigate a patient’s airways in the same way GPS guides drivers to their final destination. A virtual roadmap of the patient’s lungs and a pathway to the nodule is created by loading the patient’s CT lung scan onto a computer to be reconstructed into 3D images.

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“This new technology allows us to get to nodules we would never be able to reach before,” said board-certified pulmonologist Dr. Kristopher McDonough, who performed the first procedure in November and has used this advanced technology on two other Silver Cross Hospital patients. “Not only can we get to the peripheral areas of the lungs where the traditional bronchoscope cannot reach, but we can extract enough tissue to do unique molecular and genetic tests that allow our oncologists to tailor treatment specifically to one patient’s lung cancer.”

Typically, a chest X-ray or CT lung scan will discover nodules in the lungs, Dr. McDonough explained. For some patients, these nodules require a biopsy to determine whether or not cancer is present. Nodules can be biopsied in different ways, but the goal is to find the safest and least invasive way to get to the nodule, which is where this new ENB technology comes into play.

For patients undergoing radiation therapy for lung cancer at the University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center at Silver Cross Hospital or elsewhere, the ENB technology allows pulmonologists to place locators in the cancerous lesion so radiation oncologists know where to treat it, and how focus that treatment to achieve maximum benefit with a minimum of side effects. This same technique can be used to aid in the removal of a lung tumor by surgery, if that is part of the treatment plan.

“In the past, we were limited in our diagnostic approach to some nodules deep in the lung, with open surgery being the only possibility. Now, however, we have a number of options,” said Dr. McDonough. “In conjunction with other exciting technologies available at Silver Cross, such as endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS), ENB provides us with a comprehensive program for the minimally invasive diagnosis of lung cancer.”

For more information about electromagnetic navigational bronchoscopy or to schedule an appointment with Dr. McDonough, call Midwest Respiratory at (815) 725-2653.

Lung Cancer Symptoms

Most lung cancers do not cause any symptoms until they have spread too far to be cured, but symptoms do occur in some people with early lung cancer. If you go to your doctor when you first notice symptoms, your cancer might be diagnosed at an earlier stage, when treatment is more likely to be effective. The most common symptoms of lung cancer are:

• A cough that does not go away or gets worse
• Chest pain that is often worse with deep breathing, coughing, or laughing
• Hoarseness
• Weight loss and loss of appetite
• Coughing up blood or rust-colored phlegm
• Shortness of breath
• Feeling tired or weak
• Infections such as bronchitis and pneumonia that don’t go away or keep coming back
• New onset of wheezing

CT Lung Cancer Screening

The U.S. Preventative Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends annual screening for lung cancer with a low-dose CT Scan in adults aged 55 to 80 years who have a 30 pack-year smoking history and currently smoke or have quit within the past 15 years. Effective Jan. 1, 2015, Medicare will cover the cost annual for individuals who fit the USPSTF’s recommended criteria. A physician’s order is required for the screening. To schedule an appointment for a CT Lung Cancer Screening at Silver Cross Hospital, call (815) 300-7076.

About Silver Cross Hospital

Silver Cross Hospital is a not-for-profit health care provider serving Will County and southwest suburban communities since 1895. Silver Cross has been recognized as a Thomson Reuters 100 Top Hospitals National Award winner for seven consecutive years and as a Hospital of Choice by the American Alliance of Healthcare Providers. With nearly 4,000 employees, physicians and volunteers, Silver Cross operates a 289-bed acute care hospital and 5 satellite facilities providing outpatient services and physician offices. Silver Cross opened a state-of-the-art replacement hospital in 2012 at I-355 and Route 6 in New Lenox. In 2013, Silver Cross provided over $48 million in charity care and other community benefits. To learn more about Silver Cross Hospital or a referral to a physician on staff, visit www.silvercross.org or call 1-888-660-HEAL (4325). Physicians on Silver Cross Hospital’s Medical Staff have expertise in their areas of practice to meet the needs of patients seeking their care. These physicians are independent practitioners on the Medical Staff and are not the agents or employees of Silver Cross Hospital. They treat patients based upon their independent medical judgment and they bill patients separately for their services.