Health Check Ep 48: Innovations in treating lung cancer; decrease risk factors

14:48 mins

Synopsis: Fortnightly on Wednesdays, get healthier living tips as The Straits Times chats with expert guests.

With November being Lung Cancer Awareness Month, this episode looks at how lung cancer is the no.1 killer among cancers here in Singapore, as is also the case globally. This episode is brought to you by MSD.

ST senior health correspondent Joyce Teo hosts Dr Philip Eng, a senior consultant respiratory physician who has his own clinic - the Philip Eng Respiratory & Medical Clinic at the Mount Elizabeth Medical Centre. He has lectured in various countries, trained many doctors in the region, and published numerous articles.

They discuss the following:

1. How can non-smokers get lung cancer? For air pollution, what is the WHO (World Health Organisation) standard for PM2.5 levels? (1:42)

2. How has lung cancer treatment evolved to today's gold standard of keyhole surgery, alongside other treatments such as stereotactic radiotherapy, safer chemotherapy drugs, immunotherapy and targeted therapy? (4:00)

4. Advice on how to protect yourself to cover the cost of such treatments: Buy good extra insurance coverage when you're young and fit (7:52)

5. Innovations in lung cancer treatments such as proton beam therapy and costs of such therapies (10:10)

6. Best way to decrease lung cancer risk factors and how smokers should do more effective CT lung scans instead of normal chest X-rays (12:27)

Produced by: Joyce Teo (joyceteo@sph.com.sg), Ernest Luis and Penelope Lee

Edited by: Adam Azlee

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