32 THE QUEENS COURIER • HEALTH • JANUARY 4, 2018 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
health
LIJ Forest Hills takes aim at lung cancer
Although a pack of cigarettes goes for
upward of $13, there are still plenty of
Queens residents willing to pay the price
with their money and health.
Th at’s something that the lung cancer
screening program at Long Island Jewish
Forest Hills hopes to change.
“It’s important for us to reach out to
the community,” said Julissa Jurado, MD,
a thoracic surgeon at the hospital. “Lung
cancer is not as publicized as breast or
colon cancer, but it is the leading cause of
death in both men and women.”
On average, roughly 700 borough residents
Three questions every bariatric surgery patient asks
Today in the U.S., more than 78 million
people are obese, according to the Centers
for Disease Control. While research
shows bariatric surgery is the most eff ective
treatment for severe obesity, less than
1 percent of the 26 million surgically eligible
patients have weight loss procedures
each year.
Th e lack of information and uncertainty
about available procedures leaves most
patients who could benefi t from surgery
reluctant to take the next step. Patients
want to understand if surgery will successfully
help them lose weight and keep
the weight off , and if the procedure will
help with obesity-related diseases. Here are
answers to the most common questions
asked by eligible bariatric surgery patients.
1. Will bariatric surgery help
someone like me lose weight?
Everybody is diff erent, and weight loss
is diff erent for each person attempting to
lose weight.
A new digital platform, Health Partner
for Weight Loss Surgery, helps people
thinking about bariatric surgery better
understand their options and make an
informed decision. Th e new website provides
comprehensive information about
available surgical procedures and common
concerns, questions, and fears of people
who are considering weight loss surgery.
People can also hear from others like
them who have gone through the weight
loss surgery journey. For patients who are
ready to take the next step, the website
provides a surgeon locator, a tool to navigate
insurance requirements and recipes
designed for weight loss surgery patients.
2. Will the surgery help me
keep the weight off long term?
Bariatric surgery was designed to
help patients with obesity make a lasting
change to their health. Research has
shown bariatric surgery to be the most
eff ective and long-lasting treatment for
severe obesity and many related conditions,
and results in signifi cant weight loss.
To help patients achieve their goals
and deal with the changes surgery and
weight loss can bring, it is important they
have tools and resources to support them
throughout their entire journey. Th e
Health Partner app was designed to support
patients before and aft er surgery, and
to help them set healthy weight loss goals,
monitor their nutrition, diet and exercise,
track their progress, and keep them motivated
throughout their weight loss journey.
“A patient’s weight loss surgical journey
doesn’t begin and end in the operating
room, and providing patients with
the proper tools and resources they
need throughout their entire journey
is essential to success,” said Dr. Elliot
Fegelman, MD, Th erapeutic Area Lead
for Metabolics at Ethicon, a leader in bariatric
surgery. “Health Partner for Weight
Loss Surgery not only supports patients
before, during and aft er their decision to
undergo bariatric surgery, but also bridges
the communication gap between the
patient and their healthcare team.”
3. Will weight loss surgery help
with other obesity-related
diseases for people like me?
Bariatric surgery has helped improve
the lives of millions of patients with obesity
and related diseases. While obesity
is the second leading cause of preventable
death in the U.S., it can contribute
to more than 40 other diseases, including
high cholesterol, stroke, type 2 diabetes,
heart disease, cancer and arthritis.
Recent data indicates there are clear
benefi ts to bariatric surgery, specifi cally
to improve many diff erent obesity-related
diseases and conditions such as
type 2 diabetes and high-blood pressure.
A study published in the New England
Journal of Medicine showed that some
people with uncontrolled type 2 diabetes
who had bariatric surgery not only lost
weight, but may also have reduced need
for medication to treat their type 2 diabetes
almost immediately following surgery.
For surgically-eligible patients with
joint disease, weight loss surgery may
provide an opportunity for lessening knee
or hip pain, or lowering BMI to enable
more patients to qualify for joint replacement
surgery.
Additionally, weight loss surgery may
improve:
• Migraines;
• Sleep apnea;
• High blood pressure; and
• High cholesterol.
It is important for anyone considering
this life-changing surgery to know that
there are resources available. Patients can
check out the Health Partner for Weight
Loss Surgery website at www.thehealthpartner.
com/WLS and smartphone app
(search “health partner for weight loss
surgery” in the app store). Having this
information can help in taking the next
step to a conversation with your doctor
about the best treatment option for you.
Th ere are risks with any surgery, such
as adverse reactions to medications, problems
with anesthesia, problems breathing,
bleeding, blood clots, inadvertent injury
to nearby organs and blood vessels, even
death. Bariatric surgery has its own risks,
including failure to lose weight, nutritional
or vitamin defi ciencies, and weight
regain. Patients should consult their physicians
to determine if this procedure is
appropriate for their condition.
Courtesy BPT
die each year from lung-related cancer,
according to 2010-2014 New York State
Department of Health data. Cigarette smoking
is the most common cause of lung cancer.
“With lung cancer screenings, we’re
able to catch the disease early when it’s
most treatable,” said Dr. Jurado.
Lung cancer doesn’t usually cause
symptoms until the cancer is more
advanced. For that reason, screenings are
vital to help identify the disease as soon as
possible to improve patient survival rates.
To be eligible for a lung cancer screening
at LIJ Forest Hills, participants must
be between the ages of 55-77 and have
smoked at least one pack of cigarettes per
day for 30 years or two packs per day for
15 years. Screenings are covered by most
insurance programs, including Medicare,
explained Leyla Edwards, manager of the
hospital’s lung screening program.
Th e screening includes a low-dose CT
scan that creates a 3-D picture of the chest
which can detect very small spots or nodules.
Results of the fi ve-minute scan are
usually available within 48 hours.
A small nodule may just require monitoring
for any changes in size. A larger
one may need to be removed through
minimally invasive surgery at the hospital,
explained Dr. Jurado, who specializes
in surgeries involving the lungs, esophagus,
mediastinum and trachea.
For more information about lung cancer
screening at LIJ Forest Hills, call 855-
375-5864.
Dr. Julissa Jurado, a thoracic surgeon at LIJ Forest Hills, and Leyla Edwards, manager of the hospital’s
lung screening program, stress that screenings are vital to identify lung cancer early when it’s most
treatable.