Better Method for Lung Cancer Screening

[dadstimeon]

http://www.13wham.com/guides/health/sto ... b2d805e0a8

(Liz Bonis) -- Specialists are now using a new GI screening test to help lung cancer patients get the right treatment.

When a patient is diagnosed with lung cancer, it's important to find out if the cancer has spread to other areas. For years, that meant some patients had to undergo surgery so doctors could gather tissue samples.

But now, a new study shows that using endoscopic ultrasound may help doctors find the same information in a manner that is far less painful, less time consuming, less invasive, and perhaps even safer for the patient.

Gastroenterologist Dr. Nathan Schmulewitz said, “Endoscopic ultrasound is a test where we use an endoscope, passed from the mouth down into the stomach and the intestines, in order to look at other organs that are next to the GI tract.”

As part of the study, researchers at Duke University analyzed data from more than 1,200 lung cancer patients.

They concluded endoscopic ultrasound is not only effective at detecting lung cancer in surrounding areas, but also helps patients get the right treatment.

It takes less than half-an-hour-and does not require general anesthesia.