ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Advances in screening and new therapies have transformed the outlook for people with lung cancer, one Colorado doctor says, making early detection more important than ever during Lung Cancer Awareness Month.
“There has been an absolute revolution in treating lung cancer,” Director of Thoraric Surgery at HCA HealthONE Swedish in Englewood Boris Sepesi said.
Sepesi, who has treated lung and esophageal cancers for nearly 15 years, said survival and quality of life have improved dramatically as doctors better understand tumor biology and add targeted drugs and immunotherapy to the treatment toolbox.
“The earlier we can detect something, the higher chance of potentially being cured,” he said. “They can come and discuss some of these things with people who deal with this disease and who are up to date on all the changes in treatment, but also in quality of life associated with the treatments.”
Historically, lung cancer has been closely tied to smoking, and that link contributes to stigma and delayed care.
“One [reason] was that the cause was smoking, so perhaps there was a little bit of shame on the patient side,” Semesi said. The second [reason] was that most people felt that once you have lung cancer, that it is a death sentence… It is not a death sentence.”
Smoking and secondhand smoke remain the largest single risks for developing lung cancer, but physicians are also seeing more cases in people who have never smoked. Radon exposure is another risk factor. Sepesi noted that homes with basements, which are common throughout Colorado, can concentrate radon that seeps from the ground.
The clinical approach to lung cancer has shifted in recent years. Surgeons once removed tumors followed by several cycles of chemotherapy. Now, treatment often combines surgery with new adjuvant regimens that add immunotherapy and in some cases, targeted drugs. For some advanced cancers, new therapies have boosted survival rates substantially. Sepesi noted a roughly 40% improvement in five-year survival even for some stage 4 cancers compared with a decade ago.
“Cancer care is becoming very personalized, both from a treatment standpoint as well as from a side-effect standpoint,” Sepesi said. Physicians can now tailor treatments to the each individual cancer patient and their unique form of cancer.
Sepesi’s message was straightforward: know your risks, ask about screening and seek care early.
“There are so many different options now,” he said. “The treatment options have changed significantly.”
