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Lung Cancer Clinic
Each year more than 200,000 people are diagnosed with lung cancer. However, despite the serious nature of lung cancer, the prognosis for beating it is much better than it was even five years ago, thanks to early detection efforts and new treatment strategies.
Esophageal Cancer Clinic
Esophageal cancer accounts for more than 16,000 new cases each year. Thanks to improved treatments and early intervention, the survival rates for esophageal cancer have improved greatly since the 1960s when only a small percentage of people with the disease survived more than five years.
Mesothelioma Clinic
Most mesotheliomas begin in the chest cavity. Though fairly rare, there are still about 2,000 to 3,000 new cases each year, primarily in men over 65. Early detection and intervention by doctors at the Florida Hospital Cancer Institute's thoracic program is essential in treating the disease.
Lung Nodule Clinic
The presence of lung nodules does not automatically signal that you have cancer. Benign nodules can actually be quite common. To ensure that the nodules aren't cancerous, doctors at FHCI will monitor changes in size, shape or appearance through regular tests.
Uncommon Malignancies Clinic
Rare forms of cancer include carcinoid tumors, mediastinal tumors and thymoma. Each of these presents unique challenges that doctors at the Florida Hospital Cancer Institute address with a broad range of traditional and leading edge treatment strategies.
Who We Are
Sigfredo Aldarondo, MD
Learn more about the role of the pulmonologist in the treatment of thoracic cancer.
Joseph Boyer, MD
Learn more about the role of the thoracic surgeon in the treatment of thoracic cancer.
Promising New Treatments That Offer Hope
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Send to friendPromising New Treatments That Offer Hope
When thoracic cancer is the diagnosis, many patients of the Florida Hospital Cancer Institute (FHCI) want to explore every option available to them regarding their treatment.
In many cases, you may be a good candidate for a clinical trial. After weighing all the options, your physician may suggest you consider one of the many clinical trials being conducted in the area of thoracic cancer. Our team is highly trained in all types of thoracic cancer care and many of our specialists are at the forefront of conducting clinical trials for thoracic cancer, including lung cancer, esophageal cancer and mesothelioma.
Clinical trials can last for years. Like any traditional treatment, there are risks and benefits that depend on the course of treatment and the individual. However, physicians at the FHCI adhere to rigorous guidelines and you will be informed of these factors before you participate in any clinical trial. In many cases, there are no extraneous costs to you for participating in a research program. Often, clinical trials and the extra tests required are provided at no cost to you. Again, your doctor will go over everything with you before treatment begins.
The Benefits of Clinical Trials
While clinical trials help evaluate new treatment options for thoracic cancer, they aren't for everyone. But if you are a good candidate for one, you can help test the safety and effectiveness of the new generations of cancer drugs in development, new approaches to surgery or radiation therapy and new combinations of treatment. While there is no guarantee a treatment will ultimately be successful, the results of many clinical trials of past years are now standard practice in medicine. If a clinical trial cancer treatment does prove effective, obviously you're one of the first to benefit from it.
Other benefits include:
- Access to state-of-the-art treatments for thoracic cancer.
- Dedicated care by a research nurse who is involved in every aspect of your treatment, care and follow-up.
- Making a contribution to finding better ways to prevent, detect and treat cancer.
The Florida Hospital Cancer Institute is one of the most active participants in clinical trials in the nation. Many of our partners are household names, including the National Cancer Institute, Duke University Medical Center, the UCLA Community Oncology Research Network and many highly respected pharmaceutical companies. In many cases we are the only institution in the entire Southeast region to offer such trials.
Florida Hospital Cancer Institute is an affiliated member of the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group® (RTOG®) with University of Alabama. The Radiation Therapy Oncology Group® (RTOG®) has been a recognized leader in working to increase survival and improve the quality of life for cancer patients. RTOG is a key clinical research component of the American College of Radiology (ACR) and serves as a multi-institutional, international clinical cooperative group funded primarily by the National Cancer Institute.
Current Clinical Trials
To learn more about the open clinical trials, click here or contact our Cancer Care Coordinator.
