TOTAL BODY MRI Now Offered at Ackerman Cancer Center

Call (904) 880-5522 Pay Your Bill
Select Page

Lung Cancer

Lung Cancer

If you are facing a lung cancer diagnosis, the Ackerman Cancer Center team can help. No matter what your specific lung cancer diagnosis may be, you are sure to have questions about your best treatment options. The specialists at Ackerman Cancer Center will work with you to develop an individualized treatment plan, taking into account your overall health, the type and stage of cancer, and your preferences.

Request an Appointment

Lung Cancer Treatment

There are a number of lung cancer treatment options depending on your particular diagnosis and other factors that influence how your cancer would be best managed.

From surgery or chemotherapy to immunotherapy, vaccine therapy, and radiation therapy, there are many possible approaches to lung cancer treatment.

At Ackerman Cancer Center, your care will be coordinated by a team of specialists who work together to determine your lung cancer treatment options. This team approach will help you get answers as you receive the treatment that’s best for you.

Visit our wellness calendar to find out about upcoming support programs at Ackerman Cancer Center.

Treatments

The Center is home to some of the most advanced lung cancer-fighting technology currently available, including:

  • Proton Therapy

    Proton therapy is one of the most precise, advanced radiation treatment modalities available today. In traditional photon radiation, the X-ray beams travel through the tumor, destroying both cancerous and healthy tissue along the way. Proton therapy provides a more efficient solution by utilizing charged particles (protons) to penetrate the tissue and deposit nearly all of their energy directly at the tumor site, thereby reducing damage to surrounding areas.

    Ackerman Cancer Center is proud to be the world’s first private practice offering its own proton beam technology. Though proton therapy is not right for every patient, the radiation oncologists at Ackerman Cancer Center will consider all options when developing your personalized treatment plan.

    Learn more about proton therapy

  • 3-D External Beam Radiation

    3-D External Beam Radiation, also known as 3-D Conformal Radiation Therapy, is a technique that delivers radiation to a tumor site. Imaging scans and special computers map the location of the tumor in three dimensions. During treatment, several beams deliver radiation matched to the shape of the tumor.

  • Brachytherapy

    Brachytherapy is a type of internal radiation therapy that delivers a higher dose of radiation directly to the tumor, the area near it, or the site following tumor removal. This approach helps protect surrounding healthy tissue. Ackerman Cancer Center performs brachytherapy treatments such as prostate seed implants, APBI, and Valencia® for skin cancer.

  • Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) and Image-Guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT)

    IMRT uses beams of radiation from multiple angles, and of varying intensities, to conform to the shape of the tumor. IGRT utilizes 3-D images to monitor the tumor’s exact location during treatment. These technologies work together to reduce exposure to healthy tissues and minimize side effects of treatment.

Research on Proton for Lung Cancer

Proton Beam Therapy Survival for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

International Journal of Radiation Oncology

This is a scholarly review of survival for lung cancer patients treated with traditional radiation therapy versus proton radiation therapy. The study concluded there was better survival for those treated with protons.

Proton Therapy for Most Common Lung Cancer

MD Anderson Cancer Center

Treating non-small cell lung cancer that is in inoperable stages with proton therapy provides effective results with fewer side effects. The overall survival was two and a half to just over three year with less ...

Get Started Today

The first step is scheduling a consultation. To set up a consultation, please call us at 904-880-5522. Setting up a consultation allows you to get your questions answered and take the first step in getting a comprehensive cancer care partner to support you on your financial, social, emotional, and physical journey.

Conditions We Treat

Patient Stories

Meet Joseph, Surviving Advanced Cancer

“For me, Ackerman Cancer Center is not a medical facility. For me, it is a healing place. Everyone is there to help you. Every staff member is very nice–they know you are a patient and that you therefore deserve attention and care. They have exceeded my expectations, and they continue to do so.”

Meet Tom, Lung Cancer Survivor

“In December 2015, I finished an eight-week proton beam therapy program at the Ackerman Cancer Center. I look back on it as an experience that could not have gone better. I am grateful. I knew I wanted proton beam for my lung cancer and could not schedule timely treatment at other centers. Tara, the New Patient Coordinator, scheduled me with Dr. Ackerman within four days.

A visit to the Ackerman Cancer Center is different from my experiences at numerous other medical treatment facilities including the mega-centers, small treatment facilities, and everything in between. The atmosphere is one of openness and transparency with the emphasis on the patient’s needs first. All sorts of refreshments are available and even catered patient/staff dinners on Wednesday nights, which foster friendships and trust with the staff. The motif is colorful, cheerful, very tasteful, and professional.

Doctors and higher-level staff are not secluded behind layers of walls and bureaucracy. They are visible and ready to advise you and answer questions. A “wait” is not a wait here. They want us to be comfortable, and that is their goal. I noticed that in some treatment areas there is a bit more of a business air. You will be kindly asked about your day during the “prep,” but you will soon be in treatment and out on time, and that is a good thing. When the doctor sees a need for a sophisticated scan, there is no “schedule and wait and then schedule again” to see the doctor. Instead the patient walks about 50 steps, has the scan, and returns to the exam room where the scan is exhibited on the doctor’s large monitor, along with past scans for comparison.

The overall culture must automatically find its way to the patients, for they too are eager to share their day and their experiences. They all have a story, and many come from some very faraway places. Conversations often begin with, “It seems like these treatments should be harder.” There are a variety of professionals to meet the wide range of needs of cancer patients. A couple of examples would be nutritionists for dietary needs and social workers for help with finances, housing, and so on.

The diagnosis of cancer is a daunting experience for all of us. If a person has a question about any aspect of patient care at Ackerman’s, a call to Tara at 904-880-5522 will get you a prompt answer. I would wish my experience on anyone who reads this brief summary.”