Radiology Group | News | Looking for Lung Cancer by Michelle Aguayo

Latest News
« Return to latest news listings

www.wqad.com
August 15, 2005
Written by Michelle Aquayo
The American Cancer Society says lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in men and women.

Its 2005 statistics estimate more than 160,000 people will die from the diseased this year.

But the fight against lung cancer is more than just numbers.

There are the faces and names of your friends, neighbors and family members.

You get a rare chance to go into the operating at Genesis Medical Center room to see a lung biopsy.

Medical Breakthrough looks at the fight against lung cancer through the eyes of a Quad City doctor -- on the front lines of diagnosis.

"There's a very nice picture of the lungs -- oh, that's sharp, that's nice."

Dr. Richard Sadler uses new digital equipment to help him find lung tumors. This is a surgery he performs more often than he'd like. Just today, he'll look for cancer in two patients.

"The black stuff we call carbonaceous material and that's from previous smoking," he says as a camera probes the lung of a female patient. The camera sends a digital image to two monitors Dr. Sadler can see as he scans the lung.

He's getting an up-close look at the lung. But before a patient ends up on his operating table, they've had a CT or CAT scan. The scan will show bright white spots which indicate there's a mass in the lung.

"The CAT scan is probably the single best test to look at the lung to see if you have lung tumors or lung infection or an anomaly that would explain our problem," he says.

Dr. Sadler can tell when his instrument glides over a lump -- one that's not supposed to be there. He can also see potential problems.

"Looks like a black crater -- that's probably a nodule we need to deal with," he says.

In a matter of minutes, he has the nodule in his clamp, a stapler clips it off and seals the lung. There is relatively little blood, or damage to the lung. Then Dr. Sadler pulls out the problem area and inspects it.

"What we're doing is cutting open the nodule or what I think is the nodule to convince myself I'm sending something down to the pathologist that will be of use."

In a matter of minutes, Dr. Sadler gets an answer.

In this case it isn't cancer, rather an infection that's caused nodules to form in the lung.

Good news for this patient -- but that doesn't keep Dr. Sadler from his conviction that we can make a difference in the diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer.

"We lose 160-to-170-thousand Americans to lung cancer a year. Most of which could be curable if we got to them early and even if they weren't curable, we could extend their lives."

Dr. Sadler says early screening, especially for people who smoke, would help find lung cancer earlier. He recommends smokers or former smokers regularly get a CT or CAT scan. Insurance won't pay the $300 or so cost, but Dr. Sadler says early detection can mean the difference between life and death and is worth the cost. He sites a Wall Street Journal article that also says it's a test worth the money.

He also hopes current studies will back him.

Watch the latest Medical Breakthrough every Monday, Wednesday and Friday on News Channel 8 at 5 and every Monday and Wednesday on News Channel 8 at 10.

^ return to top

Home | Contact Us | Sitemap