Lung cancer: Personalized care

Learning you have lung cancer is scary. But advances in cancer detection and more targeted therapies have brought hope to those living with this disease.

The UW Health | Carbone Cancer Center offers personalized care and the latest advances to treat many kinds of lung cancer. These include small and non-small cell lung cancer, mesothelioma and bronchioalveolar carcinoma.

Whether you come to us for cancer treatment or for a second opinion, you can count on your team.

Experience counts

The UW Health | Carbone Cancer Center lung cancer team has the expertise that comes with experience.

Symptoms of lung cancer are different at all stages of the disease. In early-stage lung cancer, you may have no symptoms. If your lung cancer has progressed, you may notice:

• A cough (with or without blood)

• Chest pain

• Hoarseness

• Loss of appetite

• Shortness of breath

• Tiredness

• Weight loss

• Wheezing

 If lung cancer spreads to other parts of your body, it can cause:

• Arm or leg weakness

• Balance problems

• Bone pain

• Dizziness

• Headache

• Jaundice (yellowing of skin and eyes)

• Seizures

• Swollen lymph nodes

Doctors use imaging tests and procedures to diagnose lung cancer. Imaging tests — like CT scans and PET scans — take pictures of your lungs. These pictures help your doctors find lung cancer.

Special surgical procedures give doctors a closer look at your lung tissue. In some cases, these procedures are used to remove tissue for testing. This is called a biopsy. Surgical procedures help doctors determine the stage of your cancer, or how far it has spread.

Your treatment will depend on the type of lung cancer you have. The size of the cancer and how far it has spread will also affect your treatment options.

We offer lung cancer screening for people at high risk of developing lung cancer. Our lung cancer screening program requires that you are:

• Age 50 or older

• A current smoker who smoked for 20 years or more or who has a 20-pack year history (for example, 1 pack per day for 20 years or 2 packs per day for 10 years)

• Exhibiting no symptoms of lung cancer

To learn more about lung cancer screening, please call (608) 890-5600.

Our team will help determine if you are a good candidate for a low-dose CT scan and assist you in scheduling this appointment following your consult.

There’s more to you than a cancer diagnosis. We never stop looking for ways to help you get back to being you. Our lung cancer team includes:

• Genetic counselors

• Integrative medicine physicians

• Interventional pulmonologists

• Medical oncologists

• Nutritionists

• Palliative care professionals

• Pathologists

• Psychologists

• Radiation oncologists

• Social workers

• Thoracic surgeons

If you are diagnosed with lung cancer, you and your loved ones may need extra support. Patients and families at the UW Health | Carbone Cancer Center have access to many resources and support services.