An Innovative Breakthrough
- Kentucky native Keith Zafren, 63, had rapidly progressing stage 4 lung cancer, but after becoming eligible for Northwestern Medicine’s DREAM program, which qualified him for a double lung transplant, he is now cancer-free with a new set of lungs after the innovative surgery at the Chicago hospital.
- Keith’s wife said that her husband was “annoyingly healthy” and a non-smoker, which made his diagnosis nearly six years ago that much more of a shock.
- If you advanced stage lung cancer, you can see if you qualify for Northwestern’s DREAM program by reaching out to 844-639-5864.
- Know that there is also hope with clinical trials. To help you explore your clinical trial options, SurvivorNet created the SurvivorNet Clinical Trial Finder, an AI-driven tool that’s built on top of clinicaltrials.gov and gives access to more than 100,000+ individual clinical trials, updated daily.
According to a Northwestern press release, the former pastor was a perfect candidate for Double Lung Replacement and Multidisciplinary Care (DREAM, established in March 2023) because his cancer was confined to his lungs. The “first-of-its-kind clinical program” selects patients who are being considered for hospice.
Read MoreA Supportive Partner Keeping Him Going
Lori, who planned a wedding with Keith during his chemotherapy treatment, was also the voice of optimism when things were looking grim.
“She told me to live as long as I can because even though they’re telling us we’re out of options now, you never know what’s coming down the pike,” the father of three boys said.
“There’s new science, new medicines, new procedures and, repeatedly, that was true, the longer I survived.”
RELATED: Immunotherapy Treatment for Advanced Lung Cancer
For Keith’s 10-hour procedure, the Northwestern Medicine Canning Thoracic Institute in Chicago “took donor lungs that were not initially viable for transplant and used ex vivo lung perfusion (“lungs in a box”) to keep the organs alive outside the body.”
“While on that system, surgeons used clot-busting drugs to repair the lungs before transplanting Zafren on Aug. 3, 2023.”
Now that he’s eight months out of the procedure, Keith is walking 10 miles a week, doing frequent workouts.
“We knew Keith was special, but this takes things to an entirely new level,” Lori wrote in a GoFundMe update on Wednesday. “If we felt like we were living in a real-life science fiction movie before, I think we have safely crossed over to the land of ‘Anything is Possible.'”
Lori noted that Keith’s new lungs are working well and he does not require any further cancer therapy, though he will spend the rest of the summer in Chicago by the hospital before they back home.
To see if you qualify for a lung transplant at Northwestern Medicine, contact 844-639-5864.
Are You Looking For A Breakthrough Cancer Treatment? We Can Help
In addition to breakthrough surgeries, many people find hope with clinical trials, which are research studies that compare the most effective known treatment for a specific type or stage of cancer with a new approach.
Clinical trials can give patients access to incredible new therapies, but they’re not for everyone and the treatments sometimes won’t work.
Clinical Trials Can Be Life-Saving
To help you explore your clinical trial options, SurvivorNet created the SurvivorNet Clinical Trial Finder, an AI-driven tool that’s built on top of clinicaltrials.gov and gives access to more than 100,000+ individual clinical trials, updated daily.
Catching Lung Cancer Early — CT Scans Save Lives
Currently, according to the latest guidelines published in the American Cancer Society‘s flagship journal, the ACS recommends that “primary care or specialty care providers refer 50 to 80-year-olds for yearly screening with LDCT (low-dose CT scan) if they currently smoke or used to smoke, have a 20-pack-year or more smoking history, without any symptoms of lung cancer.”
RELATED: Lung Cancer in Smokers vs. Non-Smokers
With lung cancer, early detection is essential. The sooner doctors catch this cancer, the more likely that treatment will be successful. Early-stage lung cancers that are removed with surgery may even be curable. But all too often, lung cancer isn’t detected until it has already spread, as reflected in Kentucky’s high numbers, and it’s more difficult to treat.
“In about 70 to 80% of patients who are diagnosed with lung cancer, unfortunately the cancer has spread outside of the lung and is not suitable for surgery,” Dr. Patrick Forde, thoracic oncologist at Johns Hopkins Medicine, tells SurvivorNet, of lung cancer patients as a whole.
Former & Current Heavy Smokers Should Get Lung Cancer Screenings Using CT Scan, Says Leading Expert
A study published in the February 2020 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine found that former and current longtime smokers ages 50 to 74 who had low-dose CT scans were less likely to die from lung cancer (24% lower risk in men and 33% lower risk in women) than those who didn’t have this test.
“[The CT scans] were able to pick [up the cancer] at an earlier stage and potentially cure them at a higher rate than not doing screening,” Dr. Forde says.
Lung Cancer Symptoms to Look Out For
In its early stages there are usually little to no symptoms for lung cancer. However, once the disease progresses you may experience:
- Coughing up blood
- Difficulty breathing
- Chest discomfort or pain
- Facial swelling
- Fatigue
- Wheezing
- Hoarseness
- Loss of appetite
- Unexplained weight loss
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