HOLLYWOOD, FLA. — Cure rates for locally advanced lung cancer are increasing, but obtaining good follow-up care remains a challenge for the growing number of lung cancer survivors, Dr. Mark G. Kris told attendees at the annual conference of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network.
Lung cancer survivors are at very high risk—from 1% to 5% per year—for developing another primary cancer. As a result, they need careful surveillance and should be asked about their smoking status, which should be documented in the medical record at each follow-up office visit, said Dr. Kris, chief of the thoracic oncology service at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York.
Survivors of lung cancer are also at risk for other smoking-related illnesses, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and heart disease, he continued, and should be followed accordingly. In addition, radiation to the chest accelerates cardiovascular disease. As a result, lung cancer survivors need careful cardiac monitoring, including stress testing and lipid monitoring.
Radiation also accelerates osteoporosis, for which Dr. Kris said lung cancer survivors need to be prospectively treated, regardless of their general bone density, to protect against bone loss.