Tom Kenton had always been health conscious, exercising regularly and watching what he ate. When he started to experience pain in his upper right arm, he thought it might be the return of a previous problem with his shoulder. But when the pain persisted for several months, he got concerned it was something more and went to MedStar Health Urgent Care at Chevy Chase.
“I was shocked when the X-ray revealed a large mass in my upper right lung, so I started looking for a doctor who could help me fight and beat this,” says Tom.
After getting a CT scan, Tom and his wife Allison did some research and chose to interview lung specialists at several hospitals in the area. Tom felt most comfortable and confident with Rebecca Krochmal, MD, an interventional pulmonologist (lung specialist) at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital. Dr. Krochmal performed a lung biopsy and confirmed that Tom had stage 3B lung cancer, which meant the cancer had spread to lymph nodes near the lung.
MedStar Georgetown, part of the MedStar Georgetown Cancer Institute, takes a multidisciplinary approach to treating patients with cancer to ensure that all treatment options are carefully considered to develop the best approach for each individual patient. Tom’s case was reviewed and discussed in a multidisciplinary thoracic tumor conference, which made the recommendation to treat Tom’s cancer with chemoradiation and then reassess to see if surgery would be an appropriate next step.
In a single appointment, Tom met with a multidisciplinary team of experts, including Stephen Liu, MD, a highly experienced medical oncologist and the division chief of Hematology and Oncology at MedStar Georgetown; Nitika Paudel, MD, PhD, director of the Lung Cancer Radiation Oncology program at MedStar Georgetown; and Marc Margolis, MD, chief of Thoracic Surgery at MedStar Georgetown. Having patients meet with the whole multidisciplinary team in a single appointment is more convenient for patients and gives them the full picture of their treatment plan and the opportunity to ask their physicians any questions. Tom received 33 treatments of radiation therapy, five days a week, combined with a weekly dose of chemotherapy. These treatments caused Tom’s tumor to shrink significantly and he then underwent a minimally invasive partial lung resection performed by Dr. Margolis, which Dr. Liu explains increases the likelihood of a cure.
The resection showed no signs of cancer, the news Tom, Allison, and Dr. Liu had all hoped for. The final step was a year of immunotherapy infusions to lower the risk of the cancer returning. Tom now sees Dr. Liu every six months for follow up.
“The treatment for this stage of lung cancer is tough,” explains Dr. Liu, “But with the support of his wife and the MedStar Health team, Tom never wavered. His sights were always set on overcoming the cancer. Lung cancer is the most lethal type of cancer and, as Tom experienced, it usually doesn’t cause any symptoms in its early stages. For people who are over 50 and who smoked in the past 15 years, the best approach is to get an annual, low dose chest CT, evaluated by a radiologist who has experience with lung cancer screening. This is our best chance to detect the disease in the early stages.” “I thought of my treatment as a job that I needed to get done and didn’t allow myself to get emotional about it. But at the Washington Wizards Box Out Cancer Night, presented by MedStar Health, where I was one of the people sharing the story of their cancer survivorship, the full weight of the experience hit me and I got very emotional. I had made it through and I was incredibly grateful to all the doctors and staff who treated me and to my wife Allison, who supported and advocated for me throughout my treatment.”
During Tom’s treatment, he says volunteers at MedStar Georgetown frequently helped him and Allison find their way around that hospital. As a way of showing his gratitude for that support and for the care he received, Tom served as one of those volunteers for some time. Tom, who is retired, with Allison by his side as always, has travelled and visited family. “I’m feeling healthy and taking time to really enjoy life,” Tom says. “It’s a gift I don’t take for granted.”
To connect with our lung cancer patient navigator, call 202-444-7939.