Olympus has partnered with the American Lung Association (ALA) to get the word out about lung nodule diagnosis and staging, sponsoring educational resources that explain the process to patients.
As the website and accompanying video explain, chest X-rays and CT scans can detect lung nodules that require monitoring or investigation to determine if they are cancerous or benign. If the risk of cancer is low, considering the characteristics of the nodule and the patient’s lifestyle, the physician may advise the patient to undergo another scan in a few months.
However, the physician may take immediate steps if the signs point to the nodule being cancerous. The video explains the diagnosis and screening process and emphasizes the importance of knowing exactly which lymph nodes in the chest are cancerous.
“If this step is skipped or not performed thoroughly, a patient might be mis-staged and not provided the most appropriate treatment. It is common to feel urgency to start treatment when you know you have any type of lung nodule but, for many patients, it is important to wait until your care team has a complete picture of your lung disease before you begin treatment,” the video voiceover says.
The emphasis on the importance of identifying the nodules and nodes that are cancerous is in line with the features of Olympus’ lung sampling technology. The company supplies devices for endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration, a procedure that helps pulmonologists to find and sample nodules and nodes.
The education push comes 10 months after the ALA partnered with Daiichi Sankyo, Genentech, Merck, Novartis and Novocure to make more Black Americans aware of lung cancer clinical trials and encourage them to talk to their healthcare providers about treatment options.