Unified Interventional Program Improves Outcomes for Early-Stage Lung Cancer

Pulmonary and thoracic teams are united in a single service line, setting a new national standard for lung cancer care excellence.

When a patient has a heart attack or stroke, care begins without delay because every lost minute means lost tissue. Yet early-stage lung cancer has rarely been treated with the same urgency, even though evidence shows that prompt intervention leads to better outcomes.

For reasons that range from clinical silos and technology limitations to socioeconomic barriers, patients must often wait several weeks between diagnosis and treatment initiation. In some, that timeline allows the progression of cancer that, in turn, decreases the chances of cure.

Prioritizing early-stage lung cancer care is crucial to improving patient outcomes. At the Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, a cross-departmental provider team is making this goal a reality.

As the only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center in North Texas, UT Southwestern has built a unique program that could set a new national standard for excellence in lung cancer care.

The Interventional Pulmonology and Thoracic Surgery teams are united in a single service line, minimizing the time-to-treatment window from months to two weeks — and, in some cases, as little as 24 hours. Pillars of the program include optimized patient care pathways, research-led technology, and streamlined referral processes.

With one of five Special Programs of Research Excellence (SPOREs) in lung cancer grants in the nation, the team is uniquely positioned to lead this paradigm shift. Plus, UT Southwestern is recognized by U.S. News & World Report as a top 25 hospital for cardiology, heart, and vascular surgery and a top 20 hospital for cancer, as well as pulmonology and lung surgery.

Inderpal S. Sarkaria, M.D., M.B.A., FACS, Professor of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery and Chief of the Division of Thoracic Surgery at UT Southwestern, says this unique program builds upon the institution’s renowned engines of research and discovery.

“The only way to benefit from collective expertise is to bring the experts together,” Dr. Sarkaria says. “Here, interventional pulmonary and thoracic surgery work in tandem as proceduralists for cancer and many other pulmonary conditions.”

Optimized Patient Care Pathways

One of the program’s priorities is to minimize the diagnosis-to-treatment timeline. The group’s unique patient care pathways allow for faster triage and more efficient care from the first touchpoint with the program. For example, nurse navigators prescreen patients to expedite care for people with a high suspicion of cancer and assess who may be a good candidate for surgery.

Co-localized interventional pulmonologists and thoracic surgeons see patients together for new lung nodules. Together, the specialists determine whether a robot-assisted biopsy or other testing is needed and streamline the process to omit system bottlenecks.

UT Southwestern is also investing in side-by-side, first-in-class procedure and operating rooms at William P. Clements Jr. University Hospital in Dallas. Eligible patients will be able to get a biopsy and surgery under a single anesthetic.

“If prescreening indicates the patient is a good surgical candidate, for example, we ask them to come to their first visit without eating or drinking,” Dr. Sarkaria says. “We can remove their cancer that day instead of delaying care and prolonging their stress.”

Streamlined Referral Processes

Several minimally invasive surgical technologies are advanced in lung cancer. However, offering the best of these is inconsequential if patients cannot get in to see a specialist, Dr. Sarkaria says. Therefore, UT Southwestern has simplified its lung cancer referral pathways to give more patients and providers access to advanced lung cancer care. Referring physicians can call 214-645-7700 to make a referral, and a nurse navigator will return the call the same day.

With optimized patient care pathways and a streamlined referral process, more patients can access UT Southwestern’s multidisciplinary lung cancer expertise and advanced surgical technology. As this innovative care model takes hold, more patients will get the chance for longer, healthier lives after a lung cancer diagnosis.