Flaget Memorial Hospital to Host Community Forum on Lung Cancer - Archived

 

Bardstown, Ky. (November 4, 2013) – November is lung cancer awareness month, and as part of the Kentucky Cancer Program’s statewide education effort, Flaget Memorial Hospital will host a community forum to discuss new screening guidelines and the impact on lung cancer in Kentucky. The free event will take place on November 13, 2013 beginning at 11:45 a.m. at the hospital’s Medical Office Building SCN conference room, located at 4305 New Shepherdsville Road.

At the event, a panel of state and local experts will discuss the lung cancer incidence and mortality data across the state, screening guidelines and services, insurance coverage, the cost of screening and how the Affordable Care Act will affect lung cancer screenings. Smoking cessation information will also be available at the event.

The panel will feature Joe Lanzillo, M.D., radiation oncologist, and Monte Martin, M.D. hematologist and oncologist, both with Flaget Cancer Center. Jamie L. Studts, PhD from the UK College of Medicine, Katie Bathje from the Kentucky Cancer Consortium and an epidemiologist from the Kentucky Cancer Registry will also take part in the discussion.

Participants at the event can also learn about the Kentucky Cancer Program’s new initiative, Plan to be Tobacco-Free.

Flaget Memorial Hospital recently began offering low-dose CT scans, the latest tool in the early detection of lung cancer. While a chest x-ray served as the previous method, this new technology employs a low-dose of radiation to make a series of very detailed pictures of the lungs, scanning the body in a spiral path. This gives doctors an incredible amount of detail and allows them to see even the smallest cancer growth.

“Kentucky is among the highest incidence of lung cancer in the country and the world,” said Dr. Martin.  “Lung cancer screening is very important, but so is smoking cessation. Research has shown that those who undergo low dose CT screening and also receive proper counseling, are more likely to reduce smoking or quit completely.”

Data shows that using low dose CT is four times more likely to pick up a mass than a traditional chest x-ray, allowing for earlier detection and a better chance at survival.

Healthcare providers, government leaders and all community members are invited to attend the free event. For more information or to RSVP for the event, call the Kentucky Cancer Program at 502.348.0143 or email [email protected].

About KentuckyOne Health
KentuckyOne Health was formed when two major Kentucky health care organizations came together in early 2012. KentuckyOne Health combines the Jewish and Catholic heritages of the two former systems – Jewish Hospital & St. Mary’s HealthCare and Saint Joseph Health System. In late 2012, the organization formed a partnership with the University of Louisville Hospital | James Graham Brown Cancer Center.  The nonprofit system is committed to improving the health of Kentuckians by integrating medical research, education, technology and health care services wherever patients receive care. KentuckyOne Health has more than 200 locations including hospitals, physician groups, clinics, primary care centers, specialty institutes and home health agencies, with nearly 15,000 employees across the state of Kentucky and southern Indiana. KentuckyOne Health is the largest health system in Kentucky.

 

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