Advanced Lung Cancer Care
At NewYork-Presbyterian Hudson Valley Hospital, we take a comprehensive approach to caring for people with lung cancer. You can receive prevention and early detection services, assessment if you are at high risk for the disease, genetic testing, the latest treatments, access to clinical trials, and supportive care all in one place. Our team is here to help with all aspects of care--a patient navigator will be on hand to coordinate the various components of your treatment and serve as your point of contact for any questions you or your loved ones may have.
Types of lung cancer we treat
Our thoracic cancer team treats all types and stages of lung cancer, including:
- Non-small cell lung carcinomas (such as lung adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma)
- Small cell lung cancer
- Mediastinal and pleural tumors, including thymoma and pleural mesothelioma
Lung Cancer Screening
Many people with lung cancer symptoms are already in the advanced stages of the illness by the time they are diagnosed. Detecting lung cancer before it causes symptoms may help you beat the disease by finding and treating it early. NewYork-Presbyterian Hudson Valley Hospital’s lung cancer screening program can help detect lung cancers at their earliest, most treatable stages using low-dose CT scanning. Call us at 914-293-8474 to learn more about lung cancer screening. You may qualify if you:
- Are 50 to 80 years old
- Have a history of heavy smoking (20 pack years or more)
- Are a current smoker or have quit within the last 15 years
- Have no prior history of lung cancer
How we Care for People with Lung Cancer
Our lung cancer experts start by providing you with an accurate diagnosis. Once you’re diagnosed, your doctor will match you with the treatments that are shown to be most effective for the type, stage, and biology of your cancer.
Advanced interventional techniques
Our interventional pulmonologists use an approach called navigational bronchoscopy to locate, biopsy, and sometimes treat small and hard-to-reach lung tumors. This outpatient procedure combines electromagnetic navigational techniques with CT and ultrasound images and spares you from more invasive diagnostic surgical approaches. We also use endobronchial ultrasound to identify and biopsy central lymph nodes in the chest to see if they contain cancer cells. Guided by real-time medical imaging, these procedures provide doctors with better access to tissues that will be analyzed for cancer cells, making it easier to reach even the smallest tumors deep inside the lungs.
PET/CT imaging
We offer positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) scanning to stage your cancer, identify the extent of disease, and monitor your cancer during and after treatment.
Precision medicine
We analyze your lung tumor for its genetic features to discover the cancer's unique "fingerprint." The information we learn can help us choose therapies that may target the molecules driving the growth of your cancer. Examples include erlotinib, crizotinib, and afatinib — oral medications that you can take by mouth at home.
Minimally invasive lung cancer surgery
Many patients can have lung cancer surgery using a minimally invasive approach called video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) to remove the affected lobe of the lung. Patients who have VATS typically experience a shorter hospital stay, more rapid improvement of breathing function, and less discomfort with recovery than those who have open surgery.
Chemotherapy and immunotherapy
You may receive chemotherapy alone or in combination with other therapies, such as radiation and surgery, to treat your lung cancer. It may be given before surgery to shrink a tumor, after surgery to kill any cancer cells remaining in the body, or without surgery if the cancer is inoperable. Some patients benefit from immunotherapy treatments, such as the drugs pembrolizumab and nivolumab, which harness the power of the immune system to fight lung cancer. We give intravenous chemotherapy and immunotherapy in our infusion center, where we can monitor your side effects and help keep you as comfortable as possible.
Radiation therapy
Our radiation oncologists use stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) to deliver pinpoint radiation to lung cancers while minimizing radiation exposure to nearby healthy tissue. This treatment is convenient and usually well tolerated, as it is typically delivered in five sessions or less. SBRT has been shown to be much more effective against lung cancers than previous techniques using conventional radiation therapy. In addition, sometimes radiation is used in combination with surgery and/or chemotherapy.
Our Approach to Care
Your team consists of interventional pulmonologists, medical oncologists, thoracic surgeons, radiation oncologists, radiologists, pathologists, oncology nurses, and respiratory therapists who work together to develop a comprehensive treatment plan tailored to your needs. Your providers meet regularly to discuss your care and make sure you are receiving the most effective therapies.
We understand that lung cancer care goes beyond treatment. To support your quality of life, we offer palliative care, which includes services such as pain management. Nutritionists, social workers, rehabilitation therapists, and others will help you and your loved ones address the effects of cancer and its treatment — physical, emotional, and spiritual. We understand the burden lung cancer can place on your life and the lives of your loved ones, and we do whatever we can to lessen that burden.
Why Choose Us
As part of a major academic medical center — the National Cancer Institute-designated Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center of Columbia University Irving Medical Center — we participate in clinical trials for all types of lung cancer. If needed, we can connect you with investigational therapies that show promise in fighting cancer. After treatment is over, we create a customized survivorship plan for you that outlines your future visits and exams and connects you with the resources you need to live a healthy life. Contact us today to make an appointment with one of our lung cancer specialists.