"HealthLink on Air" brings you a special show this week for World Cancer Day.
A century ago, people diagnosed with lung cancer had few options. Surgery meant cutting open the patient's chest and removing an entire lung.
While sometimes that type of procedure is still necessary today, surgeons are much more likely to operate through tiny incisions to remove just a lobe from the lung or a piece of a lobe.
Dr. Jason Wallen, medical director for Upstate’s thoracic oncology program, discusses treatment options for patients with the most prevalent type of lung cancer. He explains the importance of a multidisciplinary team approach and the factors that influence the treatment decision: the cancer's size and location, as well as the patient's condition and desires.
Also, in honor of World Cancer Day, two additional segments focus on cancer. First, the best ways to reduce cancer risk. Plus, how a low-carbohydrate diet may improve the effectiveness of radiation therapy for patients with glioblastoma, the type of brain cancer that afflicts U.S. Sen. John McCain.
Tune in Sunday, February 4 at 6 a.m. and 9 p.m. on WRVO.