>> MORE THAN 600,000 PEOPLE ARE BATTLING CANCER THIS YEAR IN THE UNITED STATES DESPITE THAT
NUMBER THERE IS HOPE.
>> JUST RECENTLY DATA FROM THE
AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY
REVEALED DEATH RATES AND SOME
CANCERS ARE ACTUALLY GOING
DOWN
>> IN HERE TO TALK ABOUT WHAT
IS GETTING RESULTS IN LEADING
TO THE DECREASING CANCER
-RELATED DEATHS.
WE HAVE DOCTOR MARK A LUNG
CANCER SPECIALIST FROM
ADVENTIST HEALTH.
THIS IS REALLY SOME POSITIVE
NEWS IN THE CANCER WORLD.
WHEN DO WE EVER GET TO TALK
ABOUT THAT?
SO TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT
WHAT IS LEADING TO THIS
DECREASED?
>> SO THESE FIGURES WERE FROM
2017 AND WHAT WE SAW IN 2017
WAS THE GREATEST ANNUAL
DECREASE IN NUMBER OF CANCER
DEATHS ABOVE 2.1 PERCENT.
MOST OF THE DRIVEN BY LUNG
CANCER.
THE DECREASE IN LUNG CANCER
DEATHS.
LUNG CANCER NUMBER ONE PUBLIC
ENEMY IN TERMS OF CANCER AND
HIS ACCOUNTS FOR MORE DEATHS
THAN BREAST, COLON AND PROSTATE
COMBINED.
AND IT’S THE NUMBER ONE KILLER
OF BOTH MEN AND WOMEN.
THE ADVANCES WE HAVE SEEN IN
LUNG CANCER HAVE REALLY LEADING
DECREASED FUNDING WE ARE SEEING
HAVE THAT EFFECT.
>> AS PART OF THAT BECAUSE
SMOKING IS STARTING TO TREND
DOWNWARD?
>> I THINK IT IS
MULTIFACTORIAL.
SMOKING IS ONE OF THE ISSUES
AND FEWER PEOPLE ARE SMOKING
THESE DAYS WHICH IS GOOD.
CANCER SCREENING.
WE HAVE CLEAR EVIDENCE THAT
LUNG CANCER SCREENING SAVES
LIVES AND IT IS MORE
COST-EFFECTIVE THAN SCREENING
AND BREAST CANCER AND OTHER
CANCERS SO IT IS REALLY THE
RIGHT THING TO DO.
WE ALSO KNOW THAT NATIONALLY BE
UNDER SCREEN A LUNG CANCER
POPULATION FOR LUNG CANCER.
THE OTHER ISSUE I TOLD MY
PARENTS IS CANCER IS A DISEASE
OF DNA.
YOU MUST INTERROGATE THE DNA TO
FIGURE OUT WHAT IT WILL TELL
YOU.
THEY ARE GROWING NUMBERS OF DNA
ALTERATIONS IN LUNG CANCER THAT
HAVE SPECIFIC TARGETED THERAPY.
SO WE LOOK FOR A TARGET AND BE
TREATED WITH A TARGETED
THERAPY.
THE OTHER ISSUE IS
IMMUNOTHERAPY.
WE HAVE FIGURED OUT HOW CANCERS
CAN AVOID DESTRUCTION BY OUR
IMMUNE SYSTEM AND THERE HAS
BEEN A NUMBER OF THERAPEUTICS.
NEW THERAPEUTICS DEVELOPED THAT
ARE NO FDA APPROVED THE REALLY
-- I AM SEEING THINGS IN LUNG
CANCER I’VE NEVER SEEN IN 30
YEARS OF PRACTICE.
IT IS TRULY AMAZING FOR MANY OF
OUR PATIENTS.
NOT ALL OF THEM BUT IT
UNDERSCORES THE IMPORTANCE OF
CONTINUING RESEARCH AND
CONTINUING CLINICAL TRIALS WE
KEEP MOVING FORWARD.
>> WHAT ABOUT OTHER TYPES OF
CANCER AND JUST A TEST WE CAN
GET DONE NOW TO SEE WHAT IS IN
OUR GENES AND WHAT
PREDISPOSITIONS WE ALREADY HAVE
AND MAYBE TAKE PROACTIVE STEPS.
>> YOU SHOULD TAKE NOTE OF YOUR
FAMILY HISTORY BECAUSE
OBVIOUSLY CANCER CAN BE PASSED
ON AND DNA.
THERE’S A NUMBER OF SITUATIONS
WE KNOW PATIENTS HAVE A GENETIC
PREDISPOSITION OR A HIGHER RATE
OF DEVELOPMENT OF CANCER AND
YOU CAN TAKE STEPS AND THIS
REQUIRES A LOT OF THOUGHT.
BUT YOU DO HAVE OPTIONS.
IF YOU KNOW THAT YOU ARE AT
HIGH RISK OF DEVELOPING CANCER
IT IS CRITICAL TO BE INVOLVED
WITH GENETIC COUNSELOR THAT
TIME TO REALLY UNDERSCORE AND
DEFINE LEAD WITH THE RISK IS
AND WHAT THE OPTIONS ARE.
IF YOU’RE IN THAT SITUATION.
>> SO LOOKING BACK THE
PERCENTAGES ARE CRIPPLED WITH A
DROP LAST COUPLE YEARS.
WHAT CAN WE SAY ABOUT THE
RESEARCH AND WHAT IS BEING PUT
INTO THE NEXT 10 YEARS.
>> THIS IS AN INCREDIBLY
EXCITING TIME IN CANCER
MEDICINE.
AGAIN OUR SCIENTISTS HAVE BEEN
INSTRUMENTAL IN DEFINING HOW
CANCERS GROW AND HOW THEIR
SUCCESSFUL AND WHAT THE
MECHANISMS ARE.
THIS IS OPENED UP THE ABILITY
TO DESIGN NEW DRUGS THAT REALLY
ATTACKED THESE PROCESSE THE
CANCER USES.
SO REALLY WE ARE KIND OF ON THE
OFFENSIVE IF YOU WILL IN TERMS
OF OUR UNDERSTANDING.
BUT IT REALLY BOILS DOWN TO
LOTS OF GREAT IDEAS BUT WE HAVE
TO TEST THEM.
WE TEST WITH CLINICAL TRIALS.
WE ARE VERY INVESTED IN THIS
PROCESS BECAUSE AS I SAY TO MY
TO MY PATIENTS AND GIVING YOU
ADVICE BASED ON THE CLINICAL
TRIALS OF PATIENTS PARTICIPATED
IN PERHAPS 5 TO 10 YEARS AGO.
ALTHOUGH THIS CLINICAL TRIAL
MAY NOT HELP YOU IT MIGHT HELP
SOMEBODY DOWN THE ROAD.
SO WE NEED TO CONTINUE THE
PROCESS.
>> PAY IT FORWARD.
>> YES, EXACTLY.
>> AND WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT
THOSE SCREENINGS.
THOSE LIFESAVING SCREENINGS.
IT SAID SOMETHING AS A PATIENT
YOU HAVE TO ASK FOR AND REQUEST
OF YOUR DOCTOR OR HOW CAN YOU
BE AN ADVOCATE FOR YOURSELF IN
ORDER TO GET THAT SCREENING
AHEAD OF TIME?
>> THAT IS A GREAT QUESTION.
WE KNOW THERE ARE GUIDELINES
SET UP IN TERMS OF WHAT YOUR
RISK FACTORS ARE FOR LUNG
CANCER SCREENING BETWEEN THE
AGES OF 55 AND 80.
YOU HAVE TO HAVE BUT WE HAVE A
30 YEAR PERIOD OF HISTORY WHICH
IS SMOKING ONE PACK A DAY FOR
30 YEARS OR MORE.
OR YOU CAN HAVE A FAMILY
HISTORY.
SO YOU SHOULD GET A SCREEN.
IT CLEARLY REDUCES THE RISK OF
DEVELOPING LUNG CANCER.
WE UNDER SCREEN THOUGH AND I
THINK THIS IS A PRIMARY CARE
ISSUE.
SO WE ARE PUTTING IN PLACE
EFFORTS TO EDUCATE OUR PRIMARY
CARE PROVIDERS.
IF YOU ASK PATIENTS WHO ARE AT
RISK AND FITTING THE CRITERIA,
80 PERCENT OF THEM SET UP MY
DOCTOR RECOMMENDED IT AND I
WOULD DO IT.
SO I THINK WE NEED TO HAVE SOME
WORK IN OUR PROFESSION TO MAKE
SURE THAT THIS IS RECOMMENDED
TO PATIENTS.
WE WERE VERY ACTIVE LUNG CANCER
SCREENING PROGRAM AT ADVENTIST
HEALTH.
RIGHT NOW WE SCREEN PERHAPS
100+ PATIENTS A MONTH.
AND WE DISCOVER CANCERS
EARLIER.
IF WE DISCOVER CANCER EARLIER
IT IS MORE HIGHLY CURABLE SO IT
IS THE RIGHT THING TO DO.
>> BE YOUR OWN MEDICAL ADVOCATE
AS WELL.
IF YOU’RE CONCERNED ABOUT