Let's Talk Health: Treatments for Healthier Lungs

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the world. This translates to 1 in 16 people you know will be diagnosed with lung cancer in their lifetime.

Lung cancer kills almost three times as many women as breast cancer and three times

as many men as prostate cancer.

 According to Dr. Bassel Noumi, an interventional pulmonary specialist at Saint Clare’s Health, the two major risk factors for lung cancer are smoking and radon gas exposure. “Take the first step to protect your lungs by stopping smoking, checking the radon level in your house, and if you are a smoker or smoked in the past, talk to your physician about lung cancer screening,” he stated.

 “The health of the lungs became the center of public attention, particularly after COVID-19 pandemic,” Dr. Noumi said. “If a patient has issues with their breathing or their lungs, a primary care physician refers the patient to a pulmonologist, who specializes in the diseases of the lungs. If further evaluation and biopsies are needed, the patient can then be referred to an interventional pulmonologist who can perform delicate procedures on the lung to help identifying the causes for a lung tumor, nodule, shortness of breath, or wheezing.”

Saint Clare’s Health takes pride in being a place that is both around the corner for patients seeking exceptional care close to home, and ahead of the curve offering state-of-the-art technology. Dr. Noumi noted the services available at Saint Clare’s for pulmonary medicine delivers on both.

“We, at Saint Clare’s Health, have advanced bronchoscopic equipment with the latest techniques in obtaining biopsies of the lung nodules, tumors, and mediastinal masses, such as navigational bronchoscopy and the endobronchial ultrasound. We also have a very advanced pulmonary function laboratory, where we can perform breathing tests that will compare the function of the lungs between the patient and healthy subjects. This will help guide the pulmonologist in knowing exactly what is the reason for the patient's complaint,” Dr. Noumi said. “We also have a fast pulmonary rehabilitation program where we can rehabilitate our patients with pulmonary diseases and get them moving and feeling better and try to get better control over their health as soon as possible.”

Dr. Noumi also points out that the low-dose CT scan program at Saint Clare’s Health provides a valuable tool for early detection of lung cancer.

“A low-dose CT scan is a modified CT scan of the lungs that exposes the patient to the lowest possible radiation dose.” Dr. Noumi said. “The scan functions as a screening test where the physician can identify lung nodules, then track them overtime to see whether they progress into a malignancy. In other words, it’s a way toward early detection of lung cancer, which saves lives.”

Dr. Noumi also highlighted the use of the endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS), a minimally invasive, but highly effective procedure used to diagnose lung cancer, infections, and other diseases causing enlarged lymph nodes in the chest.

“An endobronchial ultrasound is a modified bronchoscopy that has an ultrasonic probe at the tip of the bronchoscope. It is especially effective because the probe can go through the tumor itself and collect a sample from the exact intended location,” Dr. Noumi said. “A navigational bronchoscopy is another advanced technique where we extract a map from the CT scan of the individual patient, then are able to target any lesions. Both endobronchial ultrasound and navigational bronchoscopy are minimally invasive for the patient.”

At Saint Clare’s Health patients have come to know and trust the compassionate care they will receive by clinically advanced physicians using advanced technology, all close to home.

Sleep apnea is another significant health issue that pulmonologists, such as Dr. Noumi can address. Sleep apnea is a type of sleep-related breathing disorder characterized by abnormal breathing patterns during sleep.

Dr. Noumi highlighted how the medical team at Saint Clare’s Health addresses this health issue in a private sleep lab, which is in many ways the gold standard in making a sleep apnea diagnosis.

The patient arrives at the hospital and undergoes a polysomnogram. During a polysomnogram, the patient rests in a high-tech sleep lab that looks like a comfortable hotel room. A technician in a nearby room records brain activity and selected information from the patient's body. Together, this data reveals a detailed picture of unique sleep patterns - including how much time is spent in light and deep stages, whether the patient is receiving enough oxygen, how often the patient awakens (even slightly), and whether sleep is disrupted by factors such as arm and leg movements.

“In lab sleep studies are preferred for patients who are above the age of 65 or who have chronic heart or lung disease,” Dr. Noumi said. “Younger patients who do not have any chronic medical problems or who can’t really take a day off from their work can start with the home sleep study.”

Once the patient has their diagnosis, the pulmonologist may then recommend a rehabilitation program.

“At Saint Clare’s Health pulmonary rehab center, there is a special gym with an exercise program tailored specifically to the patients with chronic lung diseases. The exercise program focuses on certain muscle groups that we know will improve the patient's respiratory function, and that has proven to be a very effective method in preventing readmission to the hospital,” Dr. Noumi said.

“At Saint Clare’s Health, a patient will undergo the most advanced testing offered anywhere to properly diagnosis the health issue. State-of- the-art treatments, including surgical ones, can be offered by the best-in-class pulmonology team to prolong and improve life for their patients,” states Dr. Noumi.

For more information, please visit saintclares.com/lungs or call

973-989-3550.