Nazareth Hospital now offers endobronchial ultrasound as part of comprehensive lung health services

Northeast Philadelphia — (September 22, 2020): Nazareth Hospital has added endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS) – a new, advanced procedure for diagnosing and staging lung cancer – to its comprehensive lung cancer services, which range from screenings and surgical care to radiation therapy, chemotherapy and survivorship.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, lung cancer is the third most common cancer in the United States. More people in the United States die from lung cancer than any other type of cancer and this is true for both men and women.

EBUS is a highly effective procedure used to diagnose and stage lung cancer and take less invasive biopsies. A pulmonologist uses a flexible tube that goes through the mouth and into the windpipe and lungs to take an ultrasound of the area in question. Patients can expect to receive moderate sedation or general anesthesia and usually go home the same day. This procedure can play a critical role in helping a multidisciplinary care team coordinate a plan specially designed for each individual patient.

"We are truly pleased that we are able to invest in technology and make it available to our community," explains Dr. Edward O'Dell, Chief Medical Officer at Nazareth Hospital. "Offering a comprehensive continuum of lung cancer care is a great source of pride for us."

To learn more about this procedure as well as the comprehensive cancer services offered at Nazareth, please visit trinityhealthma.org/cancer.