February 1, 2005

Jameson’s Lung Center’s Dr. Rodney Landreneau Develops Lung Cancer Surgery

      New Castle, PA - The Lung Center is one of Jameson’s Centers of Excellence.  Under the direction and expertise of renowned physician Rodney Landreneau, MD, Jameson is able to bring the latest and most sophisticated pulmonary and thoracic care to Lawrence County.
     Lung cancer remains the deadliest form of cancer in the United States, although it is not the most common. The American Cancer Society reports more than 172,500 new cases and 163,500 deaths are expected in 2005. However, incidence rates (the percentage of people getting the disease) have dropped among both men and women in recent years. The reason being fewer Americans are smoking.
     Dr. Landreneau and radiation oncologists at Allegheny General Hospital developed a lung-sparing procedure, sublobar resection with brachytherapy.  Only a few surgeons in the country perform this procedure, however it is being performed at the Jameson Lung Center in New Castle.  A lung tumor and some surrounding tissue are cut out of the lung. Sutures embedded with radioactive seeds of iodine-131 are sewed into a mesh and applied to the surgical site.  The radioactive isotope is short-lived and dissipates within a few months with the sutures dissolving over time.  The amount of radiation is small offering little danger to those coming in contact with the patient.  This procedure is performed in high-risk patients suffering from emphysema or other chronic lung diseases who cannot lose an entire lung lobe.
     Dr. Landreneau has performed the procedure on about 500 patients and the cancer recurrence rate in patients receiving only a sublobar resection is about 20%.  When combined with radiation seeds implanting, the recurrence rate drops to around 2%. 
      At the Lung Center, multidisciplinary specialists work together to meet the specific needs of each patient.  Heading up the surgical team is Dr. Landreneau, director of the Jameson Lung Center, and professor of surgery at the University of Pittsburgh, works with Jameson Medical staff thoracic surgeons, radiologists, oncologists, pathologists and nutritionists to develop, evaluate and administer multi-specialty, individualized treatment plans.  “Our team approach allows for the most up-to-date technology and treatment based on the evaluations and collaboration of multiple specialists,” says Dr. Landreneau.  “The quality of medical services provided by our team extends through the hospital’s Intensive Care Unit and involves our direct relationships with the referring and primary care physicians.”
     Dr. Landreneau is one of the most esteemed thoracic surgeons in the country, bringing to Jameson his experience, skill and expertise of more than 20 years of medical practice.  The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette named him among “The 318 Top Cancer Specialists for Women” in 1999.  Good Housekeeping honored him in its article “Best Doctors for Breast, Lung and Colorectal Cancer.”  He also received the “Health Care Hero Award” sponsored by the Pittsburgh Business times.  Dr. Landreneau, a professor of surgery at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, is the author of over 200 peer reviewed scientific journal articles and has edited two books regarding minimally invasive thoracic surgery.
     Dr. Landreneau began his medical career at Louisiana State University School of Medicine in New Orleans, Louisiana.  Following graduation he trained in general surgery at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas, Texas and in thoracic surgery at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.  He is a long-standing member of the American Board of Surgery and the American Board of Thoracic Surgery.  Dr. Landreneau was instrumental in the design of a line of surgical instruments, the Landreneau line, specifically made for minimally invasive abdominal and thoracic surgeries.

      To learn more about the Jameson Lung Center, call 724-656-4221.