[Hadassah On Call Podcast] Fighting for Breath: Examining Lung Cancer

Smoker or not, you must take care when it comes to something as common as a winter cough, according to our newest Hadassah On Call podcast guest, Prof. Hovav Nechushtan, head of the Hadassah Medical Organization's Genomic Oncology Service. A persistent cough may be a symptom of lung cancer, one of the deadliest, most pervasive cancers.

We don’t know all the reasons why lung cancer affects nonsmokers, says Prof. Nechushtan. It could be genetics. It could be caused by asbestos. It could be caused by radiation. It could even be related to the BRCA mutations, but that’s less common than smoking-related cases.

What we do know is that early diagnosis can save patients’ lives. Prof. Nechushtan discusses clinical trials in the United States using low-dose CT scans that have found early manifestations of lung cancer in smokers, and he stresses the importance of smokers over 55 getting one of these scans.

He also explains personalized treatments, including immunotherapy and biological therapy, as well as the innovative proton therapy, for which Hadassah is doing a special trial and is the only medical organization with access.

“It is still a very deadly disease, but we have hope,” he says.