<p>The life-changing flyer was almost lost in a sea of junk mail.</p>
<p>Lana Baker picked up the mass-mailer that had come from Franciscan Health Indianapolis, offering basic heart and lung scans to check for cardiovascular and respiratory disease. As a smoker for nearly 40 years, a lung scan was something she had been thinking about getting.</p>
<p>The first screenings Baker had were clear of any problems or concerns. But when the Franklin resident returned to the doctor the following year for another round of scans, an almost unnoticeable spot in the upper lobe of her right lung caught the doctor’s attention.</p>
<p>“If I wouldn’t have had that scan, I never would have known. I was asymptomatic, there was nothing that made me think I had anything wrong,” she said.</p>[sc:text-divider text-divider-title="Story continues below gallery" ]Click here to purchase photos from this gallery
<p>A biopsy confirmed the suspicion: Baker had Stage 1 lung cancer. Because she had been diligent with the lung scans, doctors were able to catch the disease extremely early in its development, and the cancer had not spread beyond her lungs.</p>
<p>Following surgery, she was cancer free. Baker realizes that she was incredibly lucky to have caught the cancer when they did. She credits the simple screening with having saved her life.</p>
<p>“I was very lucky. I didn’t have any other problems anywhere else, other than this one spot,” Baker said. “I really think it was because they caught it so early.”</p>
<p>Lung cancer is the deadliest form of cancer in Indiana. Estimates from the American Cancer Society put the number of lung cancer deaths in the state so far this year at 3,690, more than three times the next cancer, colorectal cancer, in terms of mortality.</p>
<p>From 2012 to 2016, the death rate for it was 52.4 per 100,000 people.</p>
<p>Part of the reason it is such a deadly disease is that it often is not detected until the cancer has grown and spread, said Dr. Nadeem Ikhlaque, medical oncologist for Franciscan Health Cancer Center in Indianapolis.</p>
<p>“The issue with lung cancer is that by the time it starts exhibiting symptoms, it’s already advanced, and those patients usually are not able to get the curative treatment, which for lung cancer is surgery only,” he said.</p>
<p>Research and data supported the benefits of screenings using low-dose CT scans, in order to identify patients who are at high risk of developing lung cancer, Ikhlaque said. That allows physicians to identify lung cancer at a very early stage.</p>
<p>“If we can identify them at an early stage, before that lung mass or lung nodule develops any symptoms, we can offer them treatment which is curative,” Ikhlaque said.</p>
<p>When Baker and her husband learned about the heart, lung and circulatory scans being offered at Franciscan Health Indianapolis, they both decided to have them done.</p>
<p>Lana Baker’s scans were both clear the first year. Not until she returned for a second round of scans in 2017 did anything of concern appear.</p>
<p>Following her appointment for the screening, her doctor called her describing two potential problems that showed up in the scan. One of them was concerning enough that he wanted to do a biopsy to confirm if it was cancer.</p>
<p>Following a battery of blood tests, further scans and the biopsy over the next six days, Baker learned she had lung cancer.</p>
<p>“At the same time, they did biopsies of my lymph nodes, and they were all free and clear,” she said. “Like I said, I was very lucky.”</p>
<p>To treat Baker’s cancer, a team of Franciscan Health Indianapolis physicians were assembled to collaborate. The multidisciplinary approach was led by Ikhlaque and cardiovascular surgeon Dr. Andrew Barksdale, who met to go over Baker’s diagnosis, discuss the potential paths of treatment and agree on the one they felt was most effective.</p>
<p>The multi-doctor approach is standard for all cancer patients at the Franciscan Health Cancer Center in Indianapolis. The practice has been ongoing at the hospital for about 10 years, with the idea of providing a variety of specialists for patients in one visit, Ikhlaque said.</p>
<p>“What we learned was that people who required multiple consultants, especially for lung cancer treatment, sometimes there was a lack of communication” he said. “Reviewing the scans of the patient and evaluating the patient together with a team of lung cancer doctors makes a big difference.”</p>
<p>For Baker, it eased her anxiety about the diagnosis knowing so many different people were working together.</p>
<p>“When I was first found out it was cancer, family and friends kept telling me I should get a second opinion before going ahead with this surgery,” she said. “But I’m thinking, I had four opinions sitting in one room, so I don’t need to get another opinion.</p>
<p>“They were looking at my case specifically, trying to decide what the best course of action was. And I felt comfortable with that.”</p>
<p>Her medical team decided that she was a good candidate for surgery, and the operation was scheduled for 2017. Barksdale tested her lung capacity to ensure that her lungs were strong enough and would work well even after a portion of the lung was removed.</p>
<p>“Everyone is born with a lot of extra lung, so usually we’re able to take advantage of that. But that’s not always the case, especially with smokers,” Barksdale said.</p>
<p>The surgical team was able to remove the cancerous mass from her lung. Because the cancer had not spread elsewhere, Baker was able to avoid radiation and chemotherapy.</p>
<p>“Because of these lung screenings, we’re finding these things at an early stage, and we can potentially cure people,” Barksdale said. “It’s changed a lot in the last five or six years.”</p>
<p>The recovery for the surgery took two months, but she soon returned to her normal routine. She and her husband took a trip to Florida for vacation, and she started playing tennis and golf. Most importantly, the experience motivated her to quit smoking.</p>
<p>As part of her follow-up treatment, Baker has her lungs scanned every six months to check for abnormalities. She’ll do so for another year.</p>
<p>“Even now, when I’m up at the cancer center getting my scans, I can’t believe it’s me,” she said. “I’m just so lucky.”</p>[sc:pullout-title pullout-title="The Baker File" ][sc:pullout-text-begin]<p>Lana Baker</p>
<p>Age: 65</p>
<p>Diagnosis: Stage 1 lung cancer in her upper right lung</p>
<p>Treatment: Surgery to remove the cancerous portion of the lung</p>[sc:pullout-text-end][sc:pullout-title pullout-title="At a glance" ][sc:pullout-text-begin]<p>What has cancer taught you?</p>
<p>That you should never smoke! On the flip side of that, when I was sitting in all of these different offices and getting all of these tests, I met several people who had cancer who never smoked. But nobody should ever smoke.</p>
<p>How did cancer change you?</p>
<p>It’s a shock. All of the sudden, this is me. This isn’t someone else that you’re talking about. I have cancer. That’s shocking.</p>
<p>What would you tell someone who has just been diagnosed?</p>
<p>Try to take care of yourself the best you can. And take advantage of these programs that are offered, like these screenings. Don’t be afraid. Don’t be afraid to get these tests. If I hadn’t had it done, it could have been a lot worse.</p>[sc:pullout-text-end]
