Early CT Screening Is Critical to Reducing Lung Cancer Deaths

Thoracic surgeon and robotics innovator Dr. Farid Gharagozloo believes regular early screenings and better follow-up care will significantly reduce the annual number of Americans dying of lung cancer by almost two-thirds. Gharagozloo, director of cardiothoracic surgery at Florida Hospital Celebration Health, says the medical establishment in the U.S. and patients themselves share the blame for the unreasonably high number of lung cancer deaths today. Patients need to be more assertive. Doctors need to be more aggressive. Together, they can make a big difference. "We can turn this thing around — change the whole story of lung cancer — if we just approach it correctly," Gharagozloo told Asbestos.com. "And it's not that complicated. We already have the tools we need." The American Lung Association estimates that 158,000 Americans will die in 2015 from lung cancer, which is 27 percent of all cancer deaths and more than breast, colon and prostate cancers combined. November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month. Although smoking or exposure to secondhand smoke is responsible for an estimated 85 percent of all lung cancer cases, an exposure to toxic asbestos greatly increases the risk. Dr. Farid Gharagozloo shares his thoughts about robotic thoracic surgery. Early Detection Is Key to Reducing Lung Cancer Deaths Gharagozloo believes the key to reducing lung cancer deaths is an aggressive promotion of readily available CT (computed tomography) screeni...
Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Tags: Treatment & Doctors Source Type: news