NYU Langone Health Expands Comprehensive Lung Cancer Care in Brooklyn

Lung cancer affects more residents of Brooklyn than any other borough in New York City, and claims more than 100,000 lives across the nation each year. 

NYU Langone Health’s Perlmutter Cancer Center, a National Cancer Institute–designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, in partnership with NYU Langone Hospital–Brooklyn is growing its state-of-the-art lung cancer care in New York City’s largest borough with a new expansion of treatment and screening services. 

Abraham Chachoua, MD, the Jay and Isabel Fine Professor of Oncology at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, and associate director for cancer services and clinical director of solid tumor oncology at Perlmutter Cancer Center, was recently named the new director of Perlmutter Cancer Center’s Lung Cancer Center, underscoring NYU Langone’s commitment to strengthening its lung cancer services in Brooklyn and across the Perlmutter Cancer Center network.  

 “When we built the state-of-the-art Perlmutter Cancer Center–Sunset Park last year, it was our intent to enhance and complement the excellent oncologic care already provided by our physicians in Brooklyn,” says Dr. Chachoua. “To do that, we have built innovative new programs and the community response has been tremendous. Now, we want to do even more to save lives in Brooklyn by further expanding our service and tackling one of the deadliest diseases—lung cancer.” 

This expansion of the Lung Cancer Center in Brooklyn will include the addition of advanced surgical approaches, including minimally invasive thoracic surgery using robotic surgical systems to treat both lung and esophageal cancers; expanded access to medical oncology services; state-of-the-art interventional pulmonary care; and new opportunities for patients to enroll in clinical trials of experimental medications and cutting-edge cancer therapies. 

After piloting an innovative approach to lung cancer screening at the Sunset Park Family Health Center at NYU Langone–Second Avenue, the screening program will expand other health center locations and practices across Brooklyn. With the highest rates of lung cancer and smoking in the metropolitan area, expanded access to screening services in the borough can detect cancer at its early stages, leading to lifesaving interventions. 

Using NYU Langone’s pan-system electronic health record, Epic, patients who qualify for lung cancer screening will be identified proactively, based on their smoking history and frequency and other risk factors, such as a family history of cancer or exposure to respiratory cancer-causing agents (carcinogens) such as asbestos. The initial screening involves a low-dose CT scan. If a growth or nodule is detected, follow-up screening might include other advanced techniques, such as navigational bronchoscopy, endobronchial ultrasound, or needle biopsy, to determine the best course of treatment. 

“Using technologies like endobronchial ultrasound, we can better evaluate suspicious growths deep inside the lung to determine if either surgical intervention or continued monitoring might be required,” says Jorge M. Mercado, MD, associate chief of pulmonary, critical care, and sleep medicine at NYU Langone Hospital–Brooklyn. 

This new expansion in Brooklyn further enhances the patient-centered, comprehensive services provided by Perlmutter Cancer Center–Sunset Park, including the latest in minimally invasive surgical interventions, radiation therapy, and infusion treatments. With a mission of providing world-class care closer to home, the center provides chemotherapy for all types of cancer and blood disorders while offering genetic counseling and testing, nutrition education, and social work support in consultation with professionals from across NYU Langone Health locations. 

To schedule an appointment, visit nyulangone.org or call Perlmutter Cancer Center—Sunset Park at 718-907-4880.