Northwest Healthcare's Lung Experts Help Patients Breathe Easier
12/4/2024
When Interventional Pulmonologist Dr. Ab Mittal met with his patient, Lori, at Northwest Pulmonology to discuss her diagnosis – a carcinoid tumor in her right lung – he said something she still remembers clearly: “This is the best bad news you’ll ever get.”
As a non-smoker with no family history of lung cancer, Lori wouldn’t have suspected there was anything wrong with her lung if the tumor hadn’t appeared on an x-ray performed for a totally unrelated condition. She wasn’t particularly concerned, either, because she'd had Valley Fever as a child. This fungal lung infection, common in Southern Arizona, can cause harmless but permanent lung nodules and other anomalies in lung tissue.
“It’s important, in our neck of the woods, to take any kind of spot in the lung seriously,” said Dr. Mittal. “I encourage patients to advocate strongly for themselves and their loved ones when something doesn’t look or feel normal. Lung issues need to be diagnosed and treated immediately, without barriers that cost the patient any unnecessary time. We are committed to breaking down those barriers at Northwest Healthcare.”
A carcinoid tumor like Lori’s – also known as non-small cell lung cancer – is very rare, usually slow-growing, and difficult to diagnose without the kind of minimally-invasive, robotic-assisted bronchoscopy technology available to lung specialists at Northwest Medical Center. In addition, physicians at NMC use advanced AI software technology which can identify incidental pulmonary nodules on CT, MR, and x-ray radiology reports – and refer high-risk nodules for biopsy and diagnosis.
After Lori’s diagnostic imaging (a CT scan), Dr. Mittal recommended surgical removal of the tumor, which involved a lung re-section near her main bronchial tube. He performed the surgery just before Easter, and Lori stayed at NMC for several days. The majority of her healing consisted of ice, heat, and rest.
A few weeks later, her follow-up testing showed complete recovery. She’ll have to follow up with an oncologist every 12 weeks for a year, and then less often for the next five to 10 years. Other than that, she’s fully healed and back to her regular life – which meant she was able to dance at her daughter’s wedding last June.
“It really was the best bad news I ever received,” Lori says. “And I felt really cared for.”
For information about pulmonology, or to request an appointment, visit https://www.nwalliedphysicians.com/our-locations/northwest-pulmonology-at-hospital-drive-3054.
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