In cases of lung cancer, Henry Ford’s pulmonologists work as part of a multi-disciplinary team for the Josephine Ford Cancer Center (JFCC).  The JFCC offers one of the largest lung cancer programs in the state, treating more than 500 patients a year. The multidisciplinary approach offers patients the benefits of combined expertise in diagnostic radiology, thoracic surgery, medical oncology, radiation oncology and pulmonology.

Surgical resection, alone or with adjuvant chemotherapy or radiation therapy, is effective in patients with early-stage disease. Josephine Ford Cancer Center thoracic surgeons perform more than 900 surgeries each year.

Other surgical options include lobectomy and pneumonectomy. In early stage disease, surgeons use thorascopic techniques for resection whenever possible to minimize trauma to the patient.
Most lung malignancies are detected in stage III or later, when they have metastasized or are unresectable.

Radiation therapy, often in combination with sequential or concurrent chemotherapy, is the primary treatment for unresectable, non-small cell tumors. Adjuvant radiation therapy may be used when resection is incomplete in cases with lymph node involvement.

Multimodality therapy for localized small-cell lung cancer includes radiation therapy and chemotherapy. Palliative treatments to reduce airway obstruction in late-stage small cell and non-small cell disease or metastatic disease include operative intratracheal brachytherapy, stenting, photodynamic therapy and laser therapy, often in conjunction with chemotherapy. The Josephine Ford Cancer Center was the first in Michigan to offer endobronchial laser therapy.

Radiation oncologists are participating in a long-term, prospective clinical trial evaluating the use of combined radiation therapy and chemotherapy to improve survival of patients with locally advanced, unresectable lung cancer. This regimen demonstrates a five-year survival rate approaching 17 percent, compared with a five percent cure rate using standard radiation therapy alone.
In addition to our in-house protocols, our lung cancer experts participate in multiple National Institutes of Health-sponsored trials through the Radiation Oncology Group and the Southwest Oncology Group.

An Interdisciplinary Lung Tumor Board meets weekly to discuss new or problematic cases. Our thoracic surgeons participate in major multi-center clinical trials of new, potentially more effective chemotherapy and radiation therapy protocols, and recommendations for enrolling patients in appropriate trials are included routinely in treatment planning.