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Lung Cancer Program

The Lung Cancer Program at Huntington Hospital is now recognized as one of the most comprehensive programs of its kind in the Los Angeles area. Our multidisciplinary program focuses not only on science and technology, but on collaboration with community physicians and an emphasis on patient service and support.

Screening and Diagnostic Radiology
Diagnostic imaging is the cornerstone of diagnosis, staging and follow-up of patients with lung cancer and other malignancies of the chest. Screening and diagnostic service options at the Huntington-Hill Imaging Center include:

  • Positron emission tomography (PET/CT Scan)
  • CT scan
  • Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
  • Bone scan
  • CT guided fine needle biopsy

Surgical Expertise
Diagnostic and Therapeutic Procedures
The thoracic surgeons at Huntington Hospital are full-time faculty in the department of surgery at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California. In addition, Huntington Hospital is one of the few hospitals in Los Angeles to host a full-time thoracic surgical resident as part of the USC thoracic surgical training program. Huntington Hospital thoracic surgeons work closely with primary care physicians, pulmonologists, medical oncologists and radiation oncologists throughout Los Angeles and the San Gabriel Valley, in order to serve as a regional referral center for thoracic oncology. Thoracic surgical procedures include:

  • Fiberoptic and rigid bronchoscopy
  • Mediastinoscopy
  • Video-assisted thorascopic surgery (VATS)
  • Pulmonary resection for primary and metastatic tumors
  • Surgical therapy for tumors of the mediastinum, chest wall and esophagus
  • Surgical therapy in combination with multimodality treatment for complicated or advanced thoracic malignancies

Medical and Radiation Oncology
Medical oncologists at Huntington Hospital collaborate with the surgical and radiation therapy teams to provide multimodality therapy. This includes pre and postoperative chemotherapy for appropriate patients, chemotherapy in conjunction with radiation therapy, and isolated chemotherapy for patients with advanced lung cancer.

The Huntington Hospital Cancer Center has board-certified radiation. The radiation oncology program utilizes the most advanced therapeutic approaches available for the treatment of lung cancer, including 3-D reconstruction treatment planning, two new state-of-the-art linear accelerators with cone-beam CT and multi-leaf collimators, and two new state-of-the-art linear accelerators to deliver intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) and image guided radiotherapy (IGRT), allowing a more precise delivery of radiotherapy with avoidance of normal tissue which can minimize treatment side effects.

Treatment Planning
The Thoracic Multidisciplinary Tumor Board gathers regularly to review and formulate recommendations for the treatment of our lung cancer patients according to NCCN (National Comprehensive Cancer Network) guidelines. The board consists of a team of specialists, including radiologists, surgeons, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, pathologists, psychologists, social workers, clinical trial coordinators and nurse navigators.

Support Services
Huntington Hospital has expanded its Thoracic Oncology Program to include services which go beyond what can be offered at most local programs. These include nurse navigators who serve as patient advocates throughout the entire treatment process. These dedicated nurse specialists facilitate and coordinate patient care, enhance physician-to-physician communication, and have developed a lung cancer support group which meets regularly at the hospital. The hospital also provides a pain service managed by the department of anesthesia, as well as symptom management physicians and nurse specialists who are dedicated to managing all aspects of cancer care.

Community Outreach
The Thoracic Oncology Program is committed to preventing lung cancer with programs designed to educate children as well as adults. This includes our annual “Smoking Stinks” lung cancer walk for local middle school students, lectures on lung cancer detection to the Senior Care Network and general public as well as Huntington Hospital’s own employee smoking cessation program. Educational presentations for interested schools, groups or community organizations may be arranged through our nurse navigators.

For more information please contact (626) 397-2528