When Sue Hawkins learned she had lung cancer last summer, the 61-year-old Hyattsville, Md., woman wasted no time in agreeing to her doctor’s recommendation for treatment. In August, surgeons cut away the upper portion of her left lung. Removing it, they hoped, would eliminate her cancer.
Unfortunately a biopsy of a suspicious lymph node was positive for cancer, making more surgery necessary. This time, Ms. Hawkins’ doctors said, the surest treatment would be to completely remove the rest of the lung, a procedure that would leave her reliant on round-the-clock oxygen for the rest of her life.
“That’s when a friend at work recommended Georgetown University Hospital,” said Rosalyn Crowder, Ms. Hawkins’ daughter.
And that’s when Georgetown Thoracic Surgeon Yvonne Carter, MD, helped Ms. Hawkins decide on a treatment plan that left her partial lung intact and dramatically reduced her need for oxygen therapy.
Georgetown Thoracic Surgeon Yvonne Carter, MD, led the team that saved Ms. Hawkins’ lung.
“Every patient who comes to the comprehensive lung cancer program at the Lombardi Cancer Center is evaluated in a single appointment by a team that includes surgeons, radiologists, and radiation and medical oncologists,” Dr. Carter said.
“Patients like Ms. Hawkins get the benefit of treatment recommendations that are developed by a consensus of physicians that specialize in lung cancer,” Dr. Carter explained. Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center is the only cancer center in this area that is designated a comprehensive cancer care program by the National Cancer Institute.
Ms. Hawkins’ team of specialists agreed that removing the lymph node was an appropriate surgical cure. “But we were concerned whether she could tolerate the removal of any more lung tissue,” explained Dr. Carter. They recommended a procedure called a sleeve resection that would remove the cancerous lymph node without removing any more lung tissue.
Standard lung cancer surgery, like the procedure that was appropriate for Ms. Hawkins’ first operation, involves removal of a portion of lung tissue.
Dr. Carter explained the options in the following way: “If the patient can tolerate it, we try to remove the lobe (lobectomy). It is less common for a patient to require removal of the entire lung (pneumonectomy), but this is sometimes necessary. For some patients with a cancer that is localized, that is, a cancer that has not spread, a sleeve resection can be used to remove only the diseased area rather than performing a pneumonectomy. The surgeon is then able to reconnect the remaining healthy airway and blood vessels, much like splicing together the cut ends of a hose after removing a damaged section.”
Although this procedure is complex and more technically challenging than surgery to remove large areas of lung tissue, it offers long-term advantages. For example, sparing vital lung tissue means that patients are in the best possible physiological condition to withstand chemotherapy or other additional treatment that helps ensure that their cancer doesn’t return. Preserving lung tissue also decreases the risk of oxygen dependence after surgery.
The tissue-sparing option was good news for Ms. Hawkins. “It was such a relief to my mother to hear that she might not have to lose her lung,” Ms. Crowder said.
As it turns out, the news got better.
“The remaining cancer was limited to just the lymph node, and the sleeve resection wasn’t necessary,” Dr. Carter says. “I was able to remove only the lymph node without having to remove any normal adjacent tissue. I detached the lymph node from a branch of the pulmonary vein, repaired the blood vessel and left Ms. Hawkins’ lower lung intact.” “I’m so glad I did it this way,” Ms. Hawkins said. “I’m grateful I could keep my lung, and I don’t need oxygen day and night.” Ms. Crowder also gave a big sigh of relief.
Though Ms. Hawkins did not need a sleeve resection, it is an important option for patients like her. “At Georgetown we have the experience and expertise to offer a range of treatment alternatives including sleeve resections and state-ofthe- art technology like the CyberKnife,” Dr. Carter noted.
Lung cancer incidence has increased steadily in recent years. It now kills more women than does breast cancer. “Patients like Ms. Hawkins should have as many options as possible in treating this disease,” Dr. Carter said. “We’re proud to be able to offer those options at the Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center.”
Lung cancer incidence has increased steadily in recent years. It now kills more women than does breast cancer.
For Sue Hawkins and her daughter, the advantages available through Georgetown’s comprehensive approach are obvious. Ms. Hawkins uses oxygen only part of the time and has begun chemotherapy to prevent recurrence of her cancer.
“My mother is getting stronger every day,” Ms. Crowder said. “We’re so glad she took the extra step and went to Georgetown.”
For more information about Georgetown’s Lung Cancer Program or to schedule an appointment, call GeorgetownMD at 202.342.2400 or toll-free at 866.745.2633.
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