We know the uncertainty and stress that comes with news that a CT scan or X-ray has revealed an abnormal or suspicious spot on your lung. One of the first things you’ll need to know is if the nodule or spot is cancerous and requires immediate attention.
Getting a fast, accurate diagnosis is essential to your peace of mind and your future care, no matter the result. Lung nodules may be an early sign of lung cancer . They may also be a sign of metastatic cancer that originated in another part of the body. Either way, early detection of malignant lung nodules leads to early care, giving doctors access to more lung cancer treatment options.
At City of Hope® Cancer Center Atlanta, our team of cancer experts works quickly diagnosis your lung nodule—in as few as four days. Our doctors use artificial intelligence and other state-of-the-art technologies, to diagnose lung nodules. If tests confirm a lung cancer diagnosis, we’ll work with you and your primary care physician to develop personalized treatment plan that transitions you back to his or her care when your treatment is complete.
The lung experts at City of Hope Atlanta work together, even before you walk in the door, to get you the information you need to make important decisions about your care. Your multidisciplinary care team may include a medical oncologist, thoracic surgeon, an interventional radiologist and a pulmonologist. These experts work together under one roof to analyze all your diagnostic tests and information on-site. Our model of care makes communication and collaboration more efficient, allowing us to condense the process—one that often takes weeks—into just a few days.
From the moment you call, we expedite the scheduling process, verify your insurance and collect your medical records. For qualifying patients, we’ll make travel and accommodation arrangements, if necessary, to get you in as quickly as possible. By the time you arrive at City of Hope Atlanta, our expert lung team will have already reviewed your records and gathered much of the information you need to make decisions about your treatment options. During your initial consultation, you’ll meet with an internist, who in conjunction with other members of your care team, will determine which type of lung biopsy, if any, should be performed. You may also undergo more tests with results available no later than Day 4 of your visit.
At that time, your care team will provide you with a diagnosis and make recommendations on what to do next, based on whether the nodule is benign or malignant. If you learn you have cancer, a medical oncologist, a thoracic surgeon and, possibly, a radiation oncologist will recommend a comprehensive treatment plan tailored to your specific diagnosis and your individual needs and goals.
Your care team may also include a registered dietitian, pain management physician, behavioral health provider and other supportive care providers. These clinicians will help you manage side effects and maintain your strength and quality of life before, during and after treatment.
Lung cancer is the third most-common non-skin cancer in the United States, after prostate cancer in men and breast cancer in women. It’s also the most common cause of cancer deaths in America. But with lung cancer screening, early detection and innovative treatment options, more lung cancer patients are living longer than ever before. The key is early detection.
Doctors have more treatment options to treat patients with lung cancer when the disease is diagnosed in its early stages. Patients diagnosed with lung cancer before it’s had a chance to spread have a five-year relative survival rate of up to 85 percent. That rate drops to 8 percent when the cancer has metastasized.
Our Atlanta cancer experts designed this four-day diagnostic program because we want our patients to get the comprehensive care they need more quickly.
600 Celebrate Life Pkwy.
Newnan, GA 30265
New Patients: (833) 650-7781
Current Patients: (844) 316-8868