Lung and Esophageal Cancer Center Faculty / Medical Staff >

The Lung Esophageal Cancer Center is staffed by a team of board certified doctors from the departments of pulmonology, hematology and oncology, thoracic surgery, radiation oncology, radiology, pathology, and nuclear medicine, and exclusive coordinators. We apply cutting-edge technology and techniques to the treatment of cancer in order to improve diagnosis, testing, surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy, and we follow exceptional treatment protocols by maintaining clear communication between departments. We are also developing and applying new treatment methods to provide rapid and appropriate treatment to patients, in order to embrace a leading role in treating lung and esophageal cancer.

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Specialties: lung cancer, esophageal cancer

Strengths

As a world-class hospital for the surgical treatment of lung cancer, our cancer center has shown exceptional surgical results.

  • Performed the most lung cancer surguriesin Korea in the last 10 years
  • Perform 1/3 of the esophageal cancer surgeries in Korea
  • Increased the percentage of minimally invasive thoracoscopic surgeries compared to more invasiveopen surgeries (58% thoracoscopic vs. 42% open in 2012).
  • Achieved the lowest postoperative prevalence and mortality rate, shortest hospitalization, and lowest surgical cost in Korea.
  • Embraces a multidisciplinary treatment practice in which professors from each department discuss appropriate treatment for 10-15 cases three times per week.

Diagnostic methods

Chest X-ray, Chest CT, sputum test, bronchoscopy, fine needle aspiration biopsy, positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT), bone scan, brain MRI, bronchoscopic ultrasound, mediastinoscopy

Latest treatment methods

Interventional bronchoscopy, surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy (3-dimensional conformal radiotherapy; 3DCRT), intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) tomotherapy, body stereotactic radiotherapy (SBRT), proton therapy)

Recent trends in clinical research

Due to advances in molecular biology, “molecular targeted therapy,” which blocks a specific molecular pathways, has grown in popularity. Samsung Medical Center is currently performing studies on molecular targeted therapy in conjunction with other major hospitals to maximize treatment efficacy for inoperative lung cancer patients. However, since the first step of molecular targeted therapy is to conduct an analysis of cancer cell genes, molecular targeted therapy cannot be implemented without specific genetic testing. To accomplish this, the Lung Esophageal Cancer Center is conducting studies on targeted gene analysis using CancerSCANTM, a next-generation cancer genome diagnostic technology independently developed by the Samsung Genome Research Institute. This new technology can check for over 500 mutations in over 380 targeted genes in a single test (http://sgi.samsunghospital.com). This important advantage makes Samsung’s Lung Esophageal Cancer Center ideal for research regarding molecular targeted genes and the therapeutic agents derived from them. We are confident that this research will lead rapidly to new tools for the treatment of lung and esophageal cancer.

Other resources

In order to improve treatment results and contribute to patients' quality of life, we are developing, and adopting chemotherapy protocols that enhanced drug effectiveness while minimizing side effects. Our active participation in domestic and international clinical research gives our lung cancer patients the opportunity to benefit from the most up-to-date chemotherapy techniques, and we operate a daytime unit for our outpatients to minimize inconvenience they must experience during the standby period for chemotherapy.

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Patients' Rights and Responsibilities

Patients' Rights

1. Right to receive medical care

Patients have the right to receive proper care in a safe setting without discrimination nor should their right to care be violated regardless of their gender, age, religion, social status, nationality, language, race, or physical/mental/financial status. Medical teams shall not refuse to provide care without justifiable reason.

2. Right to be informed and to make an autonomous decision

Patients have the right to obtain full and complete information from their medical team, to ask questions, and to determine their agreement or refusal concerning: diagnosis, treatment (purpose, plans and methods), outcomes of care (including unanticipated outcomes), discharge plan, participation in medical research studies, organ transplantation/donation, etc. Within ethical boundaries, patients may discontinue or refuse treatment, request that the medical team explain and suggest alternative treatments, and reserve the right to make their own decisions.

3. Right to confidentiality

Patients' rights to confidentiality regarding their physical/health status and privacy will not be violated. Patients can expect that all medical records/reports and their personal privacy will be kept confidential unless the patient has given consent or disclosure is permitted by law. To ensure their privacy, patients may be informed that Individuals not directly involved in their care may not be present and that the number of guardians accompanying patients to consultation rooms may be limited.

4. Right to request consultation and mediation

In the event of a medical dispute, patients may request consultation and mediation from an internal or external agency (Korea Consumer Agency, Korea Medical Dispute Mediation and Arbitration Agency).

5. Right to have values and beliefs respected

Patients will not be discriminated against because of their culture, religious values, or beliefs, and their rights will not be violated.

6. Right to receive care in a safe setting

Patients have the right to receive hospital-provided care where the patient’s medical information is protected and patient safety can be assured. In addition, patients have the right to be protected from possible dangers that can occur in a hospital and to have stability of mind and body.

Patients' Responsibilities

1. Responsibility to trust and respect the medical team

Patients must accurately inform the medical team of their health condition and must trust and respect the medical team's treatment plan. Patients may be responsible for consequences that result from not following instructions.

2. Responsibility to not use dishonest methods for medical treatment

Patients must reveal their identity before receiving any medical care and must not use false or dishonest methods, such as seeking medical care under disguised ownership.

3. Responsibility to abide by all hospital regulations

Patients are expected to treat all hospital staff and other patients with courtesy and respect; to abide by all hospital rules; and to earnestly fulfill their financial obligation to the hospital. Also, patients and their family members are expected to participate in all safety regulations.