Expert Lung Cancer Care at Providence Saint John’s

At Providence Saint John’s, patients come from all over the world to be treated. We understand that a lung cancer diagnosis could mark your entry into complex, daunting family concerns, medical options and changes in lifelong patterns. Our team of skilled surgeons, oncologists, pathologists and nurses are here to navigate these challenges with you.

Throughout your diagnosis and treatment, you’ll receive personalized, compassionate care from a team of experts led by Robert McKenna, M.D., a national leader in lung cancer surgery and treatment.

2121 Santa Monica Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90404

1182.9 miles away

844-510-4325

Expert Lung Cancer Care at Providence Saint John’s

Throughout your diagnosis and treatment, you’ll receive personalized, compassionate care from a team of experts led by Robert McKenna, M.D., a national leader in lung cancer surgery and treatment.

2121 Santa Monica Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90404

1182.9 miles away

844-510-4325

What to Expect Developing a Personalized Care Plan Lung Cancer Screening Program

What to Expect

By the time you visit us, it’s likely that a suspicious or cancerous spot is appearing in the lung area. You may have done some independent research about types of cancer and the range of possible treatments. You must have questions about how far the cancer has progressed, which may not be possible to determine immediately.

We understand that you want to move quickly, so we respond urgently to your call:

Often, we’re able to schedule your visit for the same day that you call.
We can schedule an operation as soon as the next day.

Please feel free to come to your appointment with a family member or trusted friend, or by yourself.

Bring the scans that were taken by your physician, radiologist or X-ray technician. A written report won’t be enough for us to determine if you need surgery.

When you arrive, a member of the thoracic surgery team will collect a brief medical history, asking questions like, “How was your spot discovered?” For example, we want to understand whether you’re exhibiting symptoms that could indicate cancer, or if a suspicious spot appeared on an X-ray that you received for another purpose, like assessing injuries from a traffic accident.

After this brief discussion, you’ll head to an exam room for a thorough evaluation.

To determine whether cancer has formed in your lungs, our care teams examine your scans, potentially consulting with experts like a neurologist or radiologist before making a final diagnosis. They could also recommend additional diagnostic screenings, such as a PET scan or a biopsy of your sputum, lymph nodes or tissue.

Developing a Personalized Care Plan

Discussing your treatment options

Ultimately, your treatment is guided by your diagnosis and directed by the decisions that you make with your care team.

You get the time that you need to ask questions and talk through any concerns. And you always have the chance to consider all the choices before undergoing a surgical procedure. Your care team works with you to determine the most effective, least invasive form of treatment, because we share your wish to begin the recovery process as quickly as possible.

Fortunately, most of the patients who come to Providence Saint John’s Division of Thoracic Surgery have Stage I cancer because it was discovered early. If you have what’s known as small-cell cancer – or if your non-small-cell cancer has advanced to Stage II, III or IV – your treatment plan may include chemotherapy or radiation therapy.

Using the latest tools and treatments

Dr. Robert McKenna, M.D., is a pioneer of a minimally invasive procedure called video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS). During this procedure, the tumor is removed through a small incision that allows you to heal more quickly and experience less pain than you might during conventional thoracic surgery.

After the procedure, you’ll be scheduled for a six-month follow-up visit, so that your care team can continue to monitor your lung health.

Lung Cancer Screening Program

In the video below, Dr. George Chaux and Carolyn Prina, PA, explain how our lung cancer screening program works. They walk you through the screening criteria and discuss how the results are processed.

At Providence Saint John’s Health Center, we’re equipped with the most advanced technology available, including Ion Robotic-Assisted Bronchoscopy. This innovative tool allows us to biopsy lung nodules with extreme precision for quicker recovery times, faster biopsy results and more accurate diagnoses.

Learn more about lung cancer screenings.

Personalized Treatment for Lung Cancer

Systemic therapies travel through the bloodstream and affect cells in other body parts. They are used for patients whose cancer has spread to other areas of the body or if there’s a high risk of spread. Sophisticated genetic analysis allows us to target therapies to specific DNA mutations that cause cancer cells to develop and grow. Systemic therapies include:

Chemotherapy
Clinical trials
Immunotherapy
Molecularly targeted therapy

Surgical therapies involve an operation or procedure to remove cancer from the body. Surgery may be the main treatment for some invasive cancers, but it’s only one part of the entire treatment plan. Surgical therapies include:

Lung lobectomy
Open lung wedge resection
Pneumonectomy
Segmentectomy
Sleeve lobectomy
Video-mediastinoscopy

Radiation therapy uses high-energy radiation from a source like X-rays or photons to kill cancer cells or shrink tumors. It may be part of a treatment plan that also includes systemic therapies and/or surgery. Radiation is sometimes used to help ease a patient’s pain or discomfort. Radiation therapies include: