College of Health Professions Students Learn of Lung Cancer Treatments

Early screening and targeted precision medicine driving up survival rates

Sacred Heart University students in various health programs recently learned about innovations in lung cancer treatment from an expert in the field. Paul J. Hesketh, director of the Lahey Health Cancer Institute, was at SHU to deliver a lecture on “Progress in Reducing the Burden of Lung Cancer,” describing advancements in screening and the use of targeted therapeutics. This talk was part of the College of Health Professions Dean’s Speaker Series.

Hesketh also is director of the Sophia Gordon Cancer Center and of Thoracic Oncology at Lahey Hospital & Medical Center in Burlington, MA. Additionally, he is a professor of medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine in Medford, MA and member of the College of Health Professions’ Board of Visitors. His daughter is a SHU double alumna (athletic training and physical therapy).

Hesketh’s work focuses on support for patients with lung cancer, which he called “a horrendous disease” that causes 1.8 million deaths worldwide per year, including 130,000 in the U.S. But, he said, this cancer is one with which “we are making enormous progress.” In fact, the overall U.S. cancer death rate decreased 32% between 1991 and 2009, which Hesketh credited to reduced tobacco exposure, early diagnosis, personalized patient treatment and enhanced immune systems.

Concentrated on non-small cell lung cancers, including adenocarcinoma, squamous and large cell, Hesketh explained that treatment historically has been surgery, radiation and chemotherapy, if caught in the early stage. If lymph nodes are also involved, a combination of radiation and chemotherapy is the treatment route. Advanced cases involve prolonging survival with chemotherapy.

With regard to prevention, anti-smoking campaigns have been effective, he said. In 1965, active smokers constituted 42% of the U.S. population but, as of 2020, that number was down to 13%. As to early diagnosis, screening of high-risk populations (lifetime smoker and/or over age 50) with low-dose chest scans has been key. Lahey Hospital’s own initiative has screened 7,167 patients since 2012, detecting 324 cancers, 80% of which were early stage, resulting in an estimated 120 lives saved.

Lastly, there have been advances in immunotherapy as a treatment for lung cancer. A new class of drugs (immune check-point inhibitors) are showing promise, Hesketh said. They work to prevent uncontrolled immune responses and are being used at all stages of non-small cell lung cancer. Unfortunately, there’s no precise way to identify who will benefit from this approach, and there can be toxicity, he explained.

Maura Iversen, SHU’s dean of the College of Health Professions, was thankful for Hesketh’s update. “Early detection of lung cancer is critical to enhancing survival. He and his team have collaborated to create and implement a screening algorithm to detect cancer early. People need to be aware of this effective strategy to reduce a major cause of cancer mortality nationally,” she said.

Fatbardha (Barbra) Kodzodziku, a clinical assistant professor at SHU whose research interests include prevention and the reduction of morbidity/mortality, called Hesketh’s lecture inspiring. “I am grateful that my physician assistant students were able to hear about real-life, cutting-edge experiences from a true leader in the field and how they relate to concepts taught in the evidence-based medicine and medical sciences genetics courses. Overall, it was a great educational experience.”