Cancer Research at CHEST 2012 Conference

Extract

Pulmonary cancer research was a key focus at CHEST 2012, the American College of Chest Physicians annual meeting in Atlanta in late October.

At the meeting, three organizations that focus on cancer diagnosis, prevention, and treatment were designated Centers of Excellence on the basis of their “innovative programs and services that promote best practices in patient care, quality, safety, or education”:

OSF Saint Francis Medical Center (Peoria, Ill.)—Saint Francis was recognized primarily for best practices for success in their comprehensive pulmonary lung nodule treatment program. During their presentation, officials, led by Patrick Whitten, M.D., said that their lung cancer clinic has decreased diagnosis to treatment time for lung cancer patients in the clinic to 17 days, well below the national average of 90 days.

The Lahey Clinic (Burlington, Mass.)—During their presentation, Lahey officials discussed their experiences with low-dose helical computed tomography (LDCT) in the context of findings from the National Lung Screening Trial (NLST). NLST was a randomized national trial involving 53,454 current and former heavy smokers aged 55–74 years that compared LDCT and standard chest X-ray. NLST participants were required to have a smoking history of at least 30 pack-years and were either current or former smokers without signs, symptoms, or history of lung cancer.