Nodule of lung

South Korean medical AI company Lunit has recently secured deals with hospitals in Europe, where the medical device market – the second largest after the North American market – is worth $155 billion. It won the contract to supply a lung disease screening solution to TeleDiag, the largest teleradiology group in France. Lunit was also chosen to provide a mammography analysis solution to the central region branch of the Liga Portuguesa Contra o Cancro (Portuguese League Against Cancer), which oversees Portugal's national breast cancer screening programme. The organisation aims to use Lunit's AI to analyse about 100,000 mammograms annually for the next three years. Another Korean company, Coreline Soft, bagged contracts in Europe to supply its AI screening software. Following a competitive bidding process, it will provide the University Hospital Lausanne in Switzerland with its flagship product, AVIEW LCS Plus, which uses AI to identify lung nodules, pulmonary emphysema, and coronary artery calcification in chest X-rays. The same software is also being implemented in the respective lung disease research of two French hospitals, the Bichat–Claude Bernard Hospital under Europe's largest hospital system, Assistance Publique–Hôpitaux de Paris, and the private, not-for-profit Foch Hospital in Suresnes, a commune in western Paris. Hospital del Mar, a general hospital in Barcelona, Spain, is also adopting Coreline's AI screening tool for its clinical research on lung cancer. The hospital is part of the European lung cancer screening project, 4-In-The-Lung-Run, of which Coreline is also a technology partner. Omnichannel pharmacy chain Zeno Health has acquired e-pharmacy startup Tablt Pharmacy for an undisclosed amount, the Times of India reported. The acquisition expands Zeno's network to the rural communities of Eastern India. Tablt is currently serving 200,000 customers in nearly 300 franchises across Bengal, Odisha, Bihar and Jharkhand. In the next five years, Zeno looks to grow its franchises to 1,000, co-founder and CEO Siddharth Gadia said. Kakao Healthcare is collaborating with online startup Brave Company to develop exercise content for blood sugar management. Their respective health and exercise experts will work together to create content, which will be released on Brave's various healthcare platforms and Kakao's latest mobile app, Pasta. Brave also seeks to tap online content creators to promote their upcoming exercise content.

The video explains the diagnosis and screening process. Olympus has partnered with the American Lung Association (ALA) to get the word out about lung nodule diagnosis and staging, sponsoring educational resources that explain the process to patients. As the website and accompanying video explain, chest X-rays and CT scans can detect lung nodules that require monitoring or investigation to determine if they are cancerous or benign. If the risk of cancer is low, considering the characteristics of the nodule and the patient’s lifestyle, the physician may advise the patient to undergo another scan in a few months.  However, the physician may take immediate steps if the signs point to the nodule being cancerous. The video explains the diagnosis and screening process and emphasizes the importance of knowing exactly which lymph nodes in the chest are cancerous. “If this step is skipped or not performed thoroughly, a patient might be mis-staged and not provided the most appropriate treatment. It is common to feel urgency to start treatment when you know you have any type of lung nodule but, for many patients, it is important to wait until your care team has a complete picture of your lung disease before you begin treatment,” the video voiceover says.  The emphasis on the importance of identifying the nodules and nodes that are cancerous is in line with the features of Olympus’ lung sampling technology. The company supplies devices for endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration, a procedure that helps pulmonologists to find and sample nodules and nodes.   The education push comes 10 months after the ALA partnered with Daiichi Sankyo, Genentech, Merck, Novartis and Novocure to make more Black Americans aware of lung cancer clinical trials and encourage them to talk to their healthcare providers about treatment options.

American Lung Association and Olympus team up on new educational campaign to demystify lung cancer nodules, staging and improve treatment CHICAGO, March 27, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- About every two and a half minutes, someone in the U.S. is diagnosed with lung cancer. The diagnosis process usually starts with a suspected "nodule." The process of "suspected nodule" to treatment (or other next steps) can be confusing to a person impacted and their family. To help empower people who are newly diagnosed with lung cancer with critical knowledge about lung nodules, staging and treatment, the American Lung Association and Olympus partnered to launch a new educational campaign. Close to 238,000 people in the U.S. will be diagnosed with lung cancer this year. Fortunately, more Americans are surviving lung cancer thanks in part to early detection, groundbreaking research and new treatments. "Accurately staging lung cancer (knowing if the cancer has spread and where in the body) is a critical step in determining the most appropriate treatment for a person. While it may seem like a simple step in the diagnostic process, staging lung cancer can be complicated. The results of the staging process directly impact treatment options, so it is important that physicians follow guidelines and work closely with their patients to educate them about the process and what to expect. People with lung cancer and their families should feel empowered to ask questions and advocate for the highest standard of care throughout the entire cancer journey," said Harold Wimmer, President and CEO of the American Lung Association. "This is why is it imperative to educate people on how lung cancer is staged, the questions to ask and what to expect during the process. We also want to remind people that there is hope and treatment options for each stage of lung cancer. This new campaign will provide reliable, easy-to-digest information and resources to families facing lung cancer." There are many steps from discovering a lung nodule to diagnosis, staging and treatment. Each piece of information helps doctors narrow down the most appropriate treatment for a person. It is important for people to be able to advocate for themselves to receive accurate, thorough and timely staging, which directly impacts treatment options and prognosis. Here are five things that people should know about lung cancer staging: There are 3 main scenarios in which lung nodules are found: Lung nodules show up on imaging tests like X-rays and CT scans. Sometimes this is through lung cancer screening, which looks for lung cancer in patients at high risk. Other times, a patient has symptoms and physicians are looking for a cause. Sometimes a lung nodule is discovered when a patient is being treated for another condition. Sometimes no action is recommended: Not every lung nodule needs to be treated. In some cases, the most appropriate next step is to re-scan the lungs in several months to see if there are changes. Staging uses numbers and letters to describe how far the cancer has spread: If the nodule appears cancerous (malignant), physicians gather information to confirm the cancer and understand its type, size, location and spread. Based on this information, the lung cancer is diagnosed and then assigned a stage using numbers and the letters T, N, and M—size of the primary tumor (T), the number and location of regional lymph nodes (N), and the presence or absence of metastasis (M). In many cases, patients should wait until their care teams have finished gathering all of the information about their lung cancer before starting treatment: Physicians need to know exactly how far the cancer has spread (amongst other important information) to be able to recommend the most appropriate treatment for a patient. People should work closely with their care team to learn what to expect and the risks and benefits associated with each care decision. The Lung Association has new resources about staging and lung nodules: Through this campaign, resources are available to provide more information about lung nodules and staging at Lung.org/lung-nodules. In addition, the American Lung Association's Lung Helpline is staffed with a Lung Cancer Patient Navigator to help answer any questions a person or their family may have. Through this new campaign, the Lung Association and Olympus are partnering to empower people with reliable and easy to digest information, resources and suggested questions to ask their doctor. By understanding the different stages of lung cancer and the diagnosis process, people can be more involved in the decision-making process and can better advocate for themselves and their care. Learn more at Lung.org/lung-nodules or Lung.org/staging. About the American Lung Association The American Lung Association is the leading organization working to save lives by improving lung health and preventing lung disease through education, advocacy and research. The work of the American Lung Association is focused on four strategic imperatives: to defeat lung cancer; to champion clean air for all; to improve the quality of life for those with lung disease and their families; and to create a tobacco-free future. For more information about the American Lung Association, which has a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator and is a Platinum-Level GuideStar Member, call 1-800-LUNGUSA (1-800-586-4872) or visit: Lung.org. To support the work of the American Lung Association, find a local event at Lung.org/events. American Lung Association • 55 W. Wacker Drive, Suite 1150 • Chicago, IL 60601 1331 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Ste. 1425 North • Washington, D.C. 20004 1-800-LUNGUSA (1-800-586-4872) Lung.org CONTACT: Jill Dale | American Lung Association P: 312-940-7001 E: [email protected] SOURCE American Lung Association