Diagnosis & Treatment of Lung & Thoracic Cancers

Staging Protocol

At the core of the Lung and Thoracic Cancer Program is our in-depth staging protocol, which determines the stage of the patient's cancer and the optimal treatment. Stages start at Stage 0 for the earliest cancers that have not spread and go to Stage 4 for most invasive.

Diagnostic staging procedures used include:

CT and PET scans.
Endobronchial ultrasound.
Esophageal ultrasound.
Thoracoscopy.
Mediastinoscopy.
Interventional pulmonology.
Interventional radiology.

For lung cancer patients, stage is determined by:

Tumor size.
Invasion of surrounding structures.
Involvement of lymph nodes.
Spread of the cancer to other sites.

For esophageal cancer patients, stage is determined by:

Depth of tumor invasion.
Involvement of surrounding structures.
Involvement of regional lymph nodes.
Spread of the cancer to other sites.

National recognition in lung cancer surgery

MUSC Hollings Cancer Center has been recognized as High Performing in Lung Cancer Surgery in the 2025–2026 U.S. News & World Report rankings. This distinction underscores our commitment to delivering life-saving treatment using the latest technologies and techniques.

The Hollings difference

Molecular profiling of tumors

Personalized therapy with chemotherapeutic and targeted agents based on an individual patient's molecular characteristics.

Radiation therapy

Stereotactic radiosurgery with the TrueBeam STx.
PET – CT scan fusion for more accurate radiation planning.
3D radiation therapy.
TomoTherapy – a treatment that uses a CT scanner while providing radiation therapy.
High-dose radiation therapy for early-stage tumors in inoperable places.
Brachytherapy – radioactive seeds are placed to selectively treat the tumor while sparing healthy surrounding tissue.

Medical oncology

Options may include chemotherapy after surgery and targeted therapies for medical treatment of lung cancer.

Minimally invasive thoracic surgery

Minimally invasive surgery is designed to reduce tissue damage and post-surgical pain while promoting a faster recovery. Included in our minimally invasive surgery techniques is video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS). MUSC Hollings Cancer Center is one of only a few centers in the Southeast using the VATS technique in a large percentage of cases.