For Dr. Christian Galvez, a Thoracic Surgeon at Berkshire Medical Center, the fight against lung cancer is ever present, and the latest screening methods and technology has given physicians like him an upper hand in detecting this deadly cancer early.

 

"In my own experience, a combination of technology and a major increase in the number of people who undergo lung cancer screening has produced a dramatic, encouraging flip," he said. "Ten years ago, two-thirds of the lung cancers we were finding through our screening program were in late stage, often too late for effective treatment. Today, two-thirds of the lung cancers we are finding through our screening program are in early-stage, when patients can have a nearly 90 percent survival rate five years following diagnosis."

 

The initial lung cancer screening that's universally recommended is a low-dose CT (computed tomography) scan. The CT scanner takes multiple, low-radiation X-ray pictures of the lungs. The scan can identify small nodules, spots or other abnormalities that may or not be cancerous but should be looked at further. Dr. Galvez and his colleagues recently began using another piece of state-of-the-art technology, which he calls the next level of diagnostic screening – robot-assisted bronchoscopy. 

 

"It allows me to look at a patient's air passages with a tiny camera located at the end of a flexible tube inserted through a very small incision in the chest. The camera is connected to a video screen where we can actually view a 3-D image of the patient's lungs. The device is also able to collect small tissue samples or biopsies from even in the deepest areas of the lungs," he said. "Using the highly precise information gained through robotic bronchoscopy, we are able to detect early-stage lung cancer with greater accuracy than ever before possible, and that allows us to design and perform life-saving treatments."

 

Dr. Galvez joined BMC and Berkshire Surgical Services of BMC in 2010, and specializes in general, thoracic and vascular surgery. He received his medical degree from Francisco Marroquin University Medical School in Guatemala City, completed his residency in general surgery at Berkshire Medical Center and was fellowship trained in cardiothoracic surgery at Allegheny General Hospital. Dr. Gálvez is board certified in general surgery. 

 

For more information, call Berkshire Surgical Services of BMC, 413-445-6420.

 

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