For more information on the McLeod Lung Cancer Screening Program, please call (843) 777-5953. To contact the McLeod Lung Nodule Clinic, please call (843) 777-7878.
HEALTH + WELLNESS
Placing the Patient at the Center of
LUNG CANCER CARE story by Vinod Jona, MD, McLeod Pulmonary and Critical Care Associates
above photo: McLeod Thoracic Surgeon Dr. Wayne Holley aligns the robotic camera to obtain 3D visualization for lung cancer surgery.
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early seven years ago, McLeod Health made the decision to establish a Lung Cancer Screening Program to detect lung cancer earlier and save lives through the use of low-dose lung CT scans. Since then, we have expanded our program to include three dedicated nurse navigators, roboticassisted thoracic oncology surgery, molecular targeted therapy and stereotactic body radiation therapy. Recently, we established the McLeod Lung Nodule Clinic to evaluate and monitor those patients who have been screened for lung cancer and a pulmonary nodule was detected or those who had a nodule found
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incidentally as a result of a lung CT scan after a car accident, pneumonia or injury. This clinic enables us to determine the patient’s risk of developing lung cancer and ensure they receive high quality care and follow the evidence-based guidelines. Once pulmonary nodules are discovered, the patients are referred for specialty care. Our main goal of developing the lung nodule clinic was to improve the quality of care with minimal resources and to create a model that could be spread across our McLeod Health system. In addtion, the lung nodule clinic is designed to improve access, efficiency, effectiveness and cost of care.
