‘Am I dreaming?’: Double lung transplants save two people with late-stage cancer – CTV
March 15, 2023
Two people with stage IV lung cancer who had been told that they had only weeks or months to live are breathing freely after receiving double lung transplants, Northwestern Medicine in Chicago said Wednesday.
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States. The American Cancer Society estimates that over 127,000 Americans will die from the disease this year.
It is considered stage IV once additional tumors have developed in the lungs, aside from the primary tumor, or the cancer has spread to more organs.
Someone diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer has limited treatment options, Northwestern Medicine says. A double lung transplantation offers a potentially lifesaving option for some people with a poor prognosis, but doctors say there are specific criteria a lung cancer patient must meet, including that the cancer is contained within the lungs and the person has tried all other treatment options.
