Lung Cancer

You are not alone. MaineGeneral is here to help you or your loved one with a lung cancer diagnosis.

You have access to a complete set of services for state-of-the-art care, including screening, diagnostic testing and treatment with specialists in thoracic surgery, medical and radiation oncology and interventional pulmonology. This care is available in one place, right here in the Kennebec Valley. There is no need to travel to get a screening done and, if needed, diagnostics and treatment.

The Importance of Getting Screened

Lung cancer usually doesn't have symptoms until it has advanced, but there are tools to catch lung cancer early. Early detection and treatment can save your life.

Caught at Stage I, the chance of five-year survival is 80 percent; that rate drops to a less than 10 percent chance of survival when lung cancer is caught in Stage III or Stage IV.

Hear from two recent lung cancer patients who had successful treatment when their lung cancer was found early through screening.

MaineGeneral performs lung cancer screening under The Maine Comprehensive Lung Cancer Screening Program. Find out more.

The Maine Comprehensive Lung Cancer Screening Program provides screening for lung cancer in people who are at a high risk for developing the disease due to age and smoking history.

A low-dose CT scan (LDCT) is a kind of X-ray that is quick and painless. Talk to your doctor if you:

Are 50 - 80 years old;
Are a current or former smoker;
Have quit smoking within the last 15 years;
Have smoked one pack a day for 20 years or two packs a day for 10 years.

Most insurance covers the LDCT. However, the details of exactly who qualifies can vary. For example, some insurance plans may cover screening for people of slightly different ages or history of pack years. Call your health insurance company to confirm the specific details of your plan.

Learn more about the screening from two of our doctors: Dr. Ranganath of MaineGeneral Pulmonary and Dr. Blank of MaineGeneral Thoracic Surgery.

What is a Low-Dose CT scan and how does it work?

Our Lung Cancer Navigators at the Harold Alfond Center for Cancer Care are here to help you on your journey.

State-of-the-Art Technology to Detect Lung Cancer

MaineGeneral is the first health system in the state to offer the latest technology to detect lung cancer in patients at earlier, more treatable stages.

We offer minimally invasive, robot-assisted bronchoscopy to help diagnose lung cancer. The robot gives doctors great stability and precision in obtaining tissue samples.

Combined with Low-Dose CT scan, robotic bronchoscopy is a powerful tool.

Our skilled, compassionate staff offer you this care in one place, right here in the Kennebec Valley.

Learn more about Robotic Bronchoscopy from Dr. Arun Ranganath.

Prevention

Most people know that tobacco use causes most lung cancers. Maine’s smoking rate is higher than the national average (19.8 percent in Maine compared to 17 percent nationally).

Lung cancer also can occur in people who have never smoked. Being exposed to radon and asbestos can lead to lung cancer. Maine has higher rates of radon and asbestos found in our homes than in other parts of the country.

Learn more about lung cancer prevention and resources MaineGeneral offers you.