Multidisciplinary Lung Cancer Program
It's difficult to hear the words “You have lung cancer,” but it shouldn't be difficult finding fast, efficient, top-quality care for it. That's the whole idea behind the Edwards Comprehensive Cancer Center's Multidisciplinary Lung Cancer Program, which gives patients quick, easy access to all of the physician specialists they need in one convenient, coordinated visit. And to make the experience even easier, this program provides patients with their own nurse navigator to help them through every step of the process.
Here's what makes the program so effective and efficient:
- Rather than having individual appointments with several physicians over several weeks at multiple facilities in different locations, lung cancer patients are seen by a medical oncologist, a pulmonologist, a radiation oncologist and a thoracic surgeon — all of whom play a vital role in treating lung cancer — during one visit, in one exam room.
- By being able to see all physicians in one visit, crucial time is not wasted and the most appropriate treatment can be started earlier.
- This approach offers much greater convenience for patients and their families and reduces unnecessary psychological and emotional trauma.
- Lung cancer patients benefit from the combined expertise and experience of a coordinated team of lung cancer specialists, who routinely collaborate with each other to design the most appropriate course of treatment for each patient.
- A nurse navigator provides much-needed guidance, education and support to patients throughout their entire treatment experience, including the scheduling of all appointments, tests and procedures.
- In the same facility, patients have access to the region's most advanced chemotherapy, radiation, surgical and interventional pulmonology treatments, state-of-the-art diagnostic technology and leading-edge clinical trials.
“This is the first program of its kind in the entire region in which physicians with expertise in all four areas of lung cancer treatment will be available to the patient in one single visit. I think this will be one of the best developments to ever happen in tackling lung cancer in our region, and it will set the standard for the treatment of other cancers in the future,” said Rajesh Sehgal, MD, medical oncologist/hematologist at the Edwards Comprehensive Cancer Center.
- Page last updated: Jan 9, 2013
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