SPRINGFIELD, Ill (CAPITOL CITY NOW) – With Pope Leo being in the news recently about his lung cancer, the awareness to the health of your lungs is necessary. Emily Fendrich was alongside Richelle Loftus, as they represented SIU Medicine and Memorial Health, they were guest on the WTAX Morning Newswatch to bring awareness to lung cancer.

Fendrich explains the percentages of cancer and the common cancer that Pope Leo has.

“85 to 90% of lung cancers are caused by smoking. There is still, you know, that 10 to 15% of patients that have never smoked in their life that can get lung cancer. From what I know, he had a type of lung cancer called an adenocarcinoma, which is actually the most common type of lung cancer, and it is the most definitely, by far and away, the most common type of lung cancer and those that have never smoked.”

Loftus explained how the process of screening gets done.

“We schedule a lung screening discussion, which is where Emily comes in and discusses the particular person and their pathway, and then we can also do a low dose CT scan.”

Fendrich goes onto explain what a low dose CT scan is.

“A lot of people don’t know about it, but it has existed. It’s been around for a couple of decades at least. It’s called a low dose CT scan, which is just a fancy way of saying a CT scanner, a CAT scan of the chest. A similar concept to a mammogram, a colonoscopy, a pap smear again, it’s just not as well known.”

There is procedure that can help with screenings called robotic bronchoscopy. It’s minimally invasive, and it’s available through Memorial Health and SIU Med.

“It’s a CT guided biopsy where we can go in and reach nodules that we previously weren’t able to do and get a biopsy or a tissue diagnosis of whatever we’re concerned about,” said Fendrich. “So that procedure in and of itself doesn’t remove the cancer, but it gives us a diagnosis and kind of a path forward to make the next steps.”