The right treatment.
Armed with insights from their collective experience, lung cancer experts at Mayo Clinic are committed to delivering treatment best aligned with a patient’s type and stage of lung cancer. Importantly, they’re expanding treatment options to better match patient needs, and pioneering new techniques to improve outcomes.
The leading cause of cancer deaths.
People who smoke have the greatest risk of lung cancer, though it’s important to note that it can occur in non-smokers as well. Additional risk factors include exposure to second-hand smoke, asbestos, carcinogens, or radon gas. A family history of the disease or previous radiation therapy in the chest region also increases the risk.
Accurate diagnosis is the first target.
Detecting signs of lung cancer early is important. For people with an increased risk of lung cancer, screening is available and recommended. Earlier detection allows for earlier treatment, leading to better long-term results. For those at risk of lung cancer or with suspicious nodules, consider the Lung Cancer Program at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, where experts collaborate on a multidisciplinary team to ensure individualized, comprehensive, and coordinated care—conveniently in one location.
Among the experts is Janani Reisenauer, M.D., Division Chair of Thoracic Surgery in Rochester, who leads a team focused on advancing the diagnosis of earlystage lung cancer. With more precision, flexibility, and control than a traditional bronchoscopy (a procedure used for looking at a patient’s lungs and air passages to identify the general cause of symptoms), Dr. Reisenauer’s team specializes in robotic bronchoscopy, a minimally invasive technique that allows for specific types of lung cancer to be detected. The goal of this team’s work is to find the right answer the first time, starting with accurate diagnosis.
Advancing the science of treatment.
Today’s available treatments provide lung cancer patients several options, including surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, stereotactic body radiotherapy or radiosurgery, targeted drug therapy, and immunotherapy. Although these traditional approaches to treating advanced stages of lung cancer are widely available, Mayo Clinic is leading the way in clinical trials and research studies focused on investigating new treatments, interventions, and tests to prevent, detect, treat, and manage impacts of the disease.
One example is the work of Dr. Reisenauer’s team in the development of new ways for delivering treatment through the bronchoscope to help people with early-stage lung cancer receive lifesaving diagnosis and care in a single procedure. Called single anesthetic lung surgery pathway, the innovative procedure is the focus of clinical trials that collect genetic data to help direct diagnosis and treatment of early-stage lung cancer with cellular-level accuracy. Such an advancement helps further the development of individualized treatments for patients and improve outcomes.
Ranked #1 for lung cancer surgery.*
While the single stage pathway trials at Mayo Clinic introduce a novel option, traditional approaches to lung cancer treatment remain with a range of choices offered by a proven multidisciplinary team ready to support each individual’s treatment journey.
*U.S. News & World Report 2023-2024
To learn more, visit: mayoclinic.org/innovation, or call 507-538-3270 toll-free.