COURIER LIFE, DEC. 6-12, 2019 13
Maimonides Medical Center
recently held its Annual
Flag-Raising Ceremony to
raise awareness about the
importance of lung cancer
screening and prevention.
The disease claims approximately
150,000 American
lives per year, and remains
the leading cause of cancer
death for men and women.
“In the United States, only
16 percent of lung cancer diagnoses
take place at an early
stage and approximately four
percent of people who are eligible
for screening actually
get screened,” explained Kenneth
Gibbs, President & CEO
of Maimonides Medical Center.
“Early detection is crucial
to help combat this disease,
so I urge everyone who
is at risk to get screened.”
The Maimonides Lung
Cancer Screening Program,
established in 2013, is a GO2
Foundation for Lung Cancer
Screening Center of Excellence
and the only one
in Brooklyn. In 2018, fifteen
hundred patients were
screened at the program using
the most state-of-the-art
advanced imaging technology.
The volume of patients
continues to grow in 2019.
“Lung cancer screening
is a critical part of what we
can do to save lives,” said Dr.
Stephan L. Kamholz, Chair of
Medicine. “The most recent
statistics from the New York
State Cancer Registry show
that there were 1,236 new
cases of lung cancer in Brooklyn.
Among the prevalent ‘incident’
cases, there were approximately
600 mortalities.
That tells us we’re losing the
battle about half the time,
and that’s why early screening
is really important.”
Dr. Jason Shaw, Chief of
Thoracic Surgery and Director
of the Maimonides Lung
Screening Program, praised
the collaborative efforts to diagnose
and treat lung cancer
at Maimonides. “It’s a team
approach with our oncology
and radiation oncology specialists
at the Maimonides
Cancer Center. The extraordinary
level of care at Maimonides
is unsurpassed.”
During Lung Cancer
Awareness Month, Dr. Shaw
and his team also honored
sixty lung cancer survivors
to Shine a Light on Lung
Cancer. During the celebration,
Dr. Shaw raised further
awareness about early
detection and the advanced,
cutting edge care available
at the Maimonides Cancer
Center. “When lung cancer is
caught early, people can live
longer,” he said.
For more information on
the Maimonides Lung Cancer
Screening Program or
to make an appointment,
visit https://www.maimonidesmed.
org/cancer-center/
cancer-types-of-cancer/cancer
lung-cancer/our-preventive
diagnostic-services or
call 718-283-2059.
Maimonides Medical Center
is nationally recognized
for clinical excellence across
all major specialties. Our accomplished
physicians are
known for innovation and
strengthening our teaching
and research programs. With
711 beds, the Medical Center
is dedicated to bringing
patients the most advanced
care available—anywhere.
Maimonides continues to
grow in response to evolving
models of care that better
serve patients and families,
and is an affiliate of Northwell
Health.
To learn more, please visit
www.maimonidesmed.org.
S POT L IGHT O N B ROOK LYN H E A LTHCARE
Maimonides Recognizes Lung Cancer Awareness Month
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