Ken Y. Yoneda, MD, associate professor of internal medicine, pulmonary and critical care, University of California Davis Cancer Center, explains that pulmonologists will continue to see patients referred to them from radiologists and primary care physicians with pulmonary nodules and the majority of these nodules will not be cancerous.

Helping these patients will require communication and taking accurate family histories. In some cases early cancers will need removed or a tumor will be ruled benign and surgery will be avoided altogether. The pulmonologist’s goal is to find the best options for the patient.

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Dr. Ken Y. Yoneda from UC Davis Cancer Center Discusses Pulmonary Nodules

Dr. Yoneda Discusses Pulmonary Nodules

Ken Y. Yoneda, MD, associate professor of internal medicine, pulmonary and critical care, University of California Davis Cancer Center, explains that the integration of the pulmonologist into the treatment process depends on the setting; academic and community settings both have a unique set of barriers.

Yoneda believes the interventional pulmonologist will become commonly integrated into multidisciplinary treatment as the desire for minimally invasive procedures, such as bronchoscopy, become more demanded.

Dr.Ken Yoneda from UC Davis Cancer Center Discusses Integrating the Pulmonologist into Multidisciplinary Practice

Dr. Yoneda Discusses Integrating the Pulmonologist

Ken Y. Yoneda, MD, associate professor of internal medicine, pulmonary and critical care, University of California Davis Cancer Center, explains that the critical care pulmonologist has taken a larger role in the patient recover process. This includes the post operative care of thoracic surgery patients that can have very marginal lung function.

Pulmonologists assist by getting patients off ventilators and out of the hospital as soon as possible by placing pleural catheters and small bore chest tubes into the pleural space for management of malignant pleural effusions.

Dr. Ken Yoneda from the UC Davis Cancer Center Describes the Clinical Care Pulmonologist

Dr. Yoneda Describes the Clinical Care Pulmonologist

Ken Y. Yoneda, MD, associate professor of internal medicine, pulmonary and critical care, University of California Davis Cancer Center, discusses recent advances in diagnosing lung cancer for both the radiologist and pulmonologist.

Yoneda describes screening for lung cancer using computed tomography (CT) as a huge breakthrough, but he feels that several things about the process, including cost-benefit analysis, still need to be worked out before it is fully implemented by radiologists. He references a study presented by Denise Aberle, MD, from UCLA, at the 10th International Lung Cancer Congress, August 11-14, 2011, that looked at implementing CT Screening for Early Detection of Lung Cancer.

Pulmonologists have many new tools including the use of endobronchial ultrasound, CT navigation, and electromagnetic navigation, Yoneda explains. These approaches provide more reliable access to peripheral lesions and lymph nodes.

Dr. Ken Y. Yoneda from UC Davis Cancer Center on Advances in the Diagnosis of Lung Cancer

Dr. Yoneda on Advances in the Diagnosis of Lung Cancer

Ken Y. Yoneda, MD, associate professor of internal medicine, pulmonary and critical care, UC Davis Cancer Center, discusses that bronchoscopy is still an evolving area. The various tools available include electromagnetic navigation, computed tomography navigation, and ultrasound. These methods provide not only access to the tumors for diagnosis but also for staging and biomarker testings.

Dr. Ken Yoneda from UC Davis Cancer Center Discusses Bronchoscopy Tools and Procedures

Dr. Yoneda on Bronchoscopy Tools and Procedures

Ken Y. Yoneda, MD, associate professor of internal medicine, pulmonary and critical care, UC Davis Cancer Center, describes that the pulmonologist plays an important role in both the diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer.

The pulmonologists role in treatment includes palliative patients with pleural effusions, tumor obstructions in the bronchiole, laser therapy in the bronchiole, and placing stents. They also help establish a diagnosis by working closely with the interventional radiologist and computed tomography (CT) radiologist.

The pulmonologist plays a substantial role because some tumors are easier to approach percutaneously or by bronchoscope. Using these approaches can help the patient by providing the easiest approach to diagnosing the tumor.

Dr. Ken Yoneda from UC Davis Cancer Center Discusses the Role of the Pulmonologist

Ken Y. Yoneda, MD

Articles

Dr. Yoneda Discusses Pulmonary Nodules

Dr. Yoneda Discusses Integrating the Pulmonologist

Dr. Yoneda Describes the Clinical Care Pulmonologist

Dr. Yoneda on Advances in the Diagnosis of Lung Cancer

Dr. Yoneda on Bronchoscopy Tools and Procedures

Dr. Yoneda Discusses the Role of the Pulmonologist