Lung cancer scan

Lung Cancer Experts

Lung cancer can make you feel scared and anxious. Going through lung cancer treatment is challenging, too. You want the cancer to go away. You also don't want your whole life undone by surgery and chemo.

We've been treating lung cancer for a long time. Our treatment options include innovations that take out tumors as easily as possible. And we have supportive teams to stay by your side through the journey.

If you have lung cancer, we're here to help you find a way forward.

Lung Cancer Treatment at UVA Health

We have one of the largest lung cancer clinics in the region. We also earned the top rating — 3 stars — for our quality outcomes. Only about 10 programs nationwide receive this top rating from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons.

Our experts offer the latest tools in diagnosing and treating lung cancer. These include:

  • Robot-assisted Ion system for lung biopsies - can find cancer in hard-to-reach areas 
  • TomoTherapy - safe and painless, this best-in-class radiation avoids healthy tissue
  • VATS - this method of taking out lung tumors uses video cameras, so you don't need open-chest surgery
  • Radiotracer - with nuclear imaging, we can find small nodules in your lungs and take them out
  • Gamma Knife radiosurgery
  • High-dose rate brachytherapy
  • PET-CT 

Diagnosing Lung Cancer

A lung screening or other imaging test of your chest may have shown a nodule inside your lungs. Your doctor may recommend taking a small sample (biopsy) of the nodule.  A biopsy can tell if the nodule is benign or cancer.

UVA Health is the first in the region to offer a lung biopsy that is robotic assisted. Known as Ion, this system helps doctors reach very tiny nodules in far corners of the lungs that were once unreachable.

For you, this means a better chance of a diagnosis and a sooner start to lifesaving lung cancer treatment.

    US News Lung Cancer Surgery High-Performing badge

    Top-Rated Lung Cancer Care

    U.S. News & World Report ranks our lung cancer surgery as high-performing — the highest rating possible. That means our lung cancer services are some of the best in the nation.

    Your Lung Cancer Team

    Your team of lung cancer experts work together to make a plan for you. The team includes specialists in cancer, lung care, radiology, and surgery. We ground our care in research, as we work to discover new ways to find and treat cancer in the lungs.

    Peer Support

    The Cancer Peer Support Program connects survivors and current patients. Trained cancer survivors share their experiences and insights to help those going through treatment. We also welcome caregivers to participate.

    Want to give or receive peer support? Fill out the peer support interest form.

    Quitting Smoking

    A lung cancer diagnosis doesn't mean it's easy to quit smoking or chewing tobacco. Learn about our free program for helping you quit.

    Linda Martin, MD, Talks Lung Cancer Treatments

    Linda Martin, MD, treats patients with lung cancer. Here she discusses treatment options for lung cancer, from early to more advanced stages. View lung cancer transcript.

    lung cancer scan

    Get Screened for Lung Cancer

    Worried about lung cancer? Are you or were you a heavy smoker? If you qualify, you can get screened for lung cancer. The earlier we catch it, the better our chances of curing it.

    How to get a lung screening
    radiotracer team

    Saving Lives with Radiotracer

    Our team pioneered the use of radiotracer for lung cancer. This technique uses nuclear imaging to find small lung nodules. While looking, we can also get rid of nodules. These growths aren't always cancer. If you have a cancerous nodule, radiotracer can save your life.

    See how radiotracer works