New Edward Hopsital clinic aids lung cancer treatment

Doctors at Edward Hospital in Naperville say they will be able to expedite lung cancer treatments with a just-opened clinic.

Dr. Maria Quejada said the hospital's new multidisciplinary thoracic oncology clinic allows patients to determine a course of treatment in one day rather than the weeks- to months-long process traditional treatment plans take to develop.

"The advantage to this type of program is a patient will come into the cancer center and see different specialists all in one visit," she said. "The case is then discussed by a team and they come up with a plan of care that day."

For the area, it is a one-of-a-kind approach to patient care, Edward officials said. Patients will see oncologists, thoracic surgeons, pulmonologists, social workers, coordinating nurses as well as take any necessary tests the day they visit.

The new clinic is the first of its kind for the area, and, if successful, hospital officials said they would likely adopt the treatment plan for other types of cancer. Quejada said thoracic cancers - such as lung cancer, mesothelioma and thymoma - lend themselves best to this medical scheduling format because there are many treatment plans that can be employed to combat the diseases.

"The treatment of lung cancers have become very complex over the years that it requires different specialties," she said.

The hospital treated 130 thoracic cancer patients in 2007, the most recent year when records were available. Hospital officials said state statistics also show that Edward doctors performed three times as many thoracic surgeries in 2008 than any other provider in the region.

"First and foremost, patients are getting the most advanced and highest quality cancer care available through Edward Cancer Center," said Dr. David Cziperle, an Edward thoracic surgeon. "Our patients also have peace of mind when they leave with a treatment plan in hand. It's one less worry during a very stressful time in their lives."

Quejada said the clinic would be able to see three to four patients a day, if necessary. Hospital officials shifted personnel to create the new clinic, but did not add any new jobs.