Atrium Health Navicent Urges Individuals to Learn their Lung Cancer Risk, Quit Smoking
In observance of Lung Cancer Awareness Month, Atrium Health Navicent encourages smokers to commit to quitting and is raising awareness for lifesaving lung screenings, which can detect cancer earlier, when it’s easier to treat.
Smoking is the leading risk factor for lung cancer, which causes 1 in 5 cancer deaths. Each year, more people die of lung cancer than of colon, breast and prostate cancers combined. Most lung cancer cases are diagnosed at later stages when the cancer has spread to other organs. At that point, treatment options are less likely to be effective and survival is lower.
But, with early detection and intervention, lung cancer can be survivable.Atrium Health Navicent now offers an online health risk assessment to help individuals learn more about lung cancer screening. A low-dose CT scan, is a helpful tool for individuals at a high risk for developing lung cancer.
“Patient outcomes are more favorable and cancer is easier to treat when it’s found early,” said Dr. Muhammad S. Khan, an Atrium Health Navicent pulmonologist. “Even if you’ve stopped smoking, you are still at risk for lung cancer and should learn more about eligibility for lung cancer screening. Have a conversation with your primary care provider, or take Atrium Health Navicent’s online health risk assessment, and follow-up to schedule a screening if you’re eligible.”
You may qualify for lung cancer screening if you:
▪ Are between the ages of 50 and 80
▪ Smoked cigarettes in the last 15 years.
▪ Have a 20 pack year history, for example:
o 1 pack of cigarettes per day for 20 years
o 2 packs of cigarettes per day for 10 years
o ½ pack per day for 40 years
Atrium Health Navicent offers low-dose CT lung screenings at several locations, including:
▪ Atrium Health Navicent Imaging & Laboratory (1650 Hardeman Ave., Macon)
▪ Atrium Health Navicent Baldwin (821 N. Cobb St., Milledgeville)
▪ Atrium Health Navicent Peach (1960 Ga. 247 Connector, Byron)
▪ Atrium Health Navicent Imaging Monroe (120 N. Lee St., Suite B, Forsyth)
If you have had a lung nodule (a small, round abnormal growth of tissue) found on a CT scan, it is important to follow up with your doctor to determine your next steps, such as a biopsy of the nodule.
This year, Atrium Health Navicent introduced a new, minimally-invasive procedure used to diagnose lung cancer. The Ion Robotic Bronchoscopy system is a robotic-assisted platform for minimally invasive biopsy in the lung. While a patient is under general anesthesia, a doctor uses an ultra-thin, highly maneuverable robotic catheter to test for cancerous cells by reaching parts of the lungs not possible through a standard biopsy. The technology uses CT scan data to generate a 3D image of the patient’s lungs, with detail down to the branches and nodules.
If a biopsy does test positive for cancer, surgical resection, chemotherapy, radiation therapy and immunotherapy are offered at the Atrium Health Navicent Peyton Anderson Cancer Center, which also is home to a full continuum of care ranging from prevention and diagnosis to treatment and survivorship services.
If you or a loved one has concerns about cancer risk factors, available screenings or cancer care, contact Atrium Health Navicent Peyton Anderson Cancer Center at 478-633-3000. To find a doctor, visit www.NavicentHealth.org and click “Find A Doctor.”
About Atrium Health Navicent
Atrium Health Navicent is the leading provider of health care in central and south Georgia and is committed to its mission of elevating health and wellbeing through compassionate care. Atrium Health Navicent is part of Advocate Health, which is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, and is the third-largest nonprofit health system in the United States, created from the combination of Atrium Health and Advocate Aurora Health. Atrium Health Navicent provides high-quality, personalized care in 53 specialties at more than 50 facilities throughout the region. As part of the largest, integrated, nonprofit health system in the Southeast, it is also able to tap into some of the nation’s leading medical experts and specialists with Atrium Health, allowing it to provide the best care close to home – including advanced innovations in virtual medicine and care. Throughout its 125-year history in the community, Atrium Health Navicent has remained dedicated to enhancing health and wellness for individuals throughout the region through nationally recognized quality care, community health initiatives and collaborative partnerships. It is also one of the leading teaching hospitals in the region, helping to ensure viability for rural health care for the next generation. For more information, please visit www.NavicentHealth.org.
About Advocate Health
Advocate Health is the third-largest nonprofit integrated health system in the United States – created from the combination of Advocate Aurora Health and Atrium Health. Providing care under the names Advocate Health Care in Illinois, Atrium Health in the Carolinas, Georgia and Alabama, and Aurora Health Care in Wisconsin, Advocate Health is a national leader in clinical innovation, health outcomes, consumer experience and value-based care. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, Advocate Health services nearly 6 million patients and is engaged in hundreds of clinical trials and research studies, with Wake Forest University School of Medicine serving as the academic core of the enterprise. It is nationally recognized for its expertise in cardiology, neurosciences, oncology, pediatrics and rehabilitation, as well as organ transplants, burn treatments and specialized musculoskeletal programs. Advocate Health employs 155,000 teammates across 69 hospitals and over 1,000 care locations and offers one of the nation’s largest graduate medical education programs with over 2,000 residents and fellows across more than 200 programs. Committed to providing equitable care for all, Advocate Health provides more than $6 billion in annual community benefits