Talk to your doctor to learn more about your risk for lung cancer and whether screenings might be right for you. People who smoke are at a higher risk for lung cancer, for example, as are individuals regularly exposed to secondhand smoke or to the colorless, odorless gas known as radon. If you would like to better understand your risk, our Lung Cancer Screening Program for high risk individuals—the first of its kind in the Bronx—may be right for you.

Given the known risks of tobacco use and lung cancer, consider connecting to the physicians, social workers, and other specialists at our smoking cessation program who can help you quit through group support sessions, cognitive behavioral therapies, self-hypnosis techniques, motivational speakers, and more. If a diagnosis of lung or chest cancer is made, our specialists can help you figure out your next steps in the form of a treatment plan personalized for you.

At Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center, we provide access to the latest surgical and therapeutic techniques. Based on our team’s assessment, we may recommend surgery, chemotherapy (including immunotherapy and targeted therapy in some cases), and radiation therapy of various types: stereotactic radiotherapy, proton therapy or others.

The treatment plans we develop for people with advanced diseases often integrate leading-edge therapies delivered alone or in combination with established approaches such as surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

Our surgeons commonly offer minimally invasive surgery  options, an approach that often allows for smaller incisions and faster recovery than traditional surgery. Surgeons commonly offer minimally invasive surgery to treat:

• Mediastinal tumors: tumors near the windpipe, airways or under the breastbone
• Esophageal tumors: tumors in the esophagus 
• Thymoma and thymic carcinoma: cancer in the thymus gland—an organ under the breastbone

We may also recommend you consider a clinical trial, an option that sometimes provides access to novel treatments before they are available elsewhere. Our investigators pioneered the clinical development of several lung cancer treatments.

No matter what type of lung or chest cancer you have, our team can help you manage side effects related to your treatment.

At Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center, we’re focused on the prevention, early diagnosis, and treatment of cancer. You can place your trust in our multidisciplinary team of world-renowned experts. Our full-service cancer center offers a comprehensive range of traditional and holistic care, from screening and diagnosis, through survivorship. This includes care navigation, mental health and wellness services, and other supportive programs like financial counseling and rehabilitation.

Benefit from highly specialized, coordinated and compassionate care focused on the whole person. We’re here to address your complex medical needs and improve your quality of life.

Your chest cavity includes many vital organs, tissues and glands. Cancer that starts in your chest is called chest (thoracic) cancer. Chest cancer can begin in the lining of your chest wall (pleura) or in the thymus, an organ in the upper chest.

Cancer that starts in your lungs is called lung cancer. There are two main types of lung cancer: small cell lung cancer (SCLC) and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Lung cancer is the nation’s number one cause of cancer-related death, responsible for roughly one third of all deaths from cancer—and tobacco use is a major contributor, which helps explain the intensive focus on controlling the use of tobacco to, in turn, lower the rate of cancer.