Barton and Shaun lead the lung cancer and bronchoscopy service at Monash Health and chair the multidisciplinary team meeting. Barton also participates in the lung cancer service at Cabrini and Epworth Hospitals and attends their lung multidisciplinary team meeting. Our close association with these tertiary centres means that you have direct access to all of the best lung cancer specialists. If your care requires the help of a thoracic surgeon, medical or radiation oncologist, or a radiologist, this can be fast tracked either privately or in the public system through these multidisciplinary team meetings.
We see patients urgently who have findings that suggest the possibility of lung cancer. For example when a CT scan a lesion, shadow on the lung, a nodule or a mass. This evokes significant anxiety in patients, their families and also in their treating doctor. So rapid assessment is necessary to hopefully prove that the abnormality is in fact not a cancer. Alternatively, if it is a cancer, this must be diagnosed quickly so that optimal and efficient treatment can be implemented.
Our bronchoscopy service allows us to arrange procedures to biopsy lung cancers rapidly and safely.
We ensure that all patients and their families are treated with empathy and great communication so as to reduce the anxiety and stress that this process can cause.