Diagnosing & Treating Lung Cancer

You are not alone.

As the area’s highest-volume cancer center, Hoag Family Cancer Institute sees, diagnoses and treats more lung cancer patients than any other hospital in Orange County — including patients with rare subtypes and complex cases. That gives Hoag a deep well of experience, which can lead to more accurate staging, more personalized treatment plans, fuller recoveries and better outcomes.  Hoag’s commitment to research and the latest treatment options have improved survival rates for patients treated at Hoag at every stage of lung cancer.

Preventative Lung Cancer Screening at Hoag

If you are concerned about lung cancer due to a long history of heavy smoking, Hoag’s Early Lung Cancer Screening Program might be right for you. This groundbreaking program catches lung cancer in high-risk patients earlier through annual, low-dose CT screenings for heavy smokers or former heavy smokers between 50-77 years of age. Some private insurance plans and Medicare pay for this vital preventative screening. 

Diagnosing Lung Cancer

How Lung Cancer is Diagnosed 

After discussing your symptoms and medical history with your doctor, you will likely be given a thorough medical exam, which may be followed by other tests and diagnostic procedures.  At Hoag, this may include: 

  • Interventional Pulmonology
    • Cios Spin, a new imaging technology for diagnosing lung cancer earlier, more accurately and less invasively. Hoag is the first hospital in Orange County to offer this technology.
    • The Ion Robotic-Assisted Bronchoscopy Platform, a robot-enabled technique allowing for safe, minimally invasive collection of tissue samples for biopsy. Hoag is one of the few Interventional Pulmonology programs in the U.S. offering this technology.
    • Endobronchial Ultrasound (EBUS), a minimally invasive procedure used to obtain lymph node tissue samples for biopsy without conventional surgery.
      • Convex-Probe Endobronchial Ultrasound Bronchoscopy (CP-EBUS)
      • Radial-Probe Endobronchial Ultrasound Bronchoscopy (RP-EBUS)
    • Ion Navigational Bronchoscopy, a recent innovation that extends the conventional bronchoscope, providing doctors with better views of cancerous lesions deep in the lungs.
    • Cone-Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) with 3D Fluoroscopy
  • Interventional Radiology
  • Computerized Tomography (CT)
  • Positron Emission Tomography (PET)​
  • Bone Scans
  • Mediastinoscopy
Next Steps for Those Diagnosed with Lung Cancer

After diagnosis, your doctor will talk to you about your current symptoms, discuss treatment options and potentially refer you to a specialist for more tests or surgery. If you still smoke or use tobacco at the time of your diagnosis, quit immediately.

Treatment Options for Lung Cancer

Treatment options for lung cancer depend on many factors, including how advanced the cancer is when detected, your age and any other health issues you may have. The treatments Hoag recommends for lung cancer vary from patient to patient, but may include:  

 

Research & Clinical Trials for Lung Cancer

Hoag is committed to leading the way in state-of-the-art technologies and advanced treatment options. Part of this commitment includes clinical research with the goal of helping patients live longer, healthier lives. Through carefully planned clinical trials, researchers evaluate the safety and effectiveness of new ways to diagnose, treat and prevent diseases or conditions. Treatments studied in clinical trials might be new drugs or new combinations of drugs, new surgical procedures or devices, or new ways to use existing treatments. View clinical trials for lung cancer here.

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