Lung cancer survivor in Austin advocates for screening, detection
AUSTIN, Texas - 79-year-old Ray Barker of Austin is a lung cancer survivor.
"I couldn't underscore enough for everyone to try to get an early diagnosis, whether its heart, kidney, whatever it might be," Barker said, speaking about cancer and screening for the disease. "I go back to this thesis that if it's found earlier enough, you are likely going to make it."
Barker's journey began in 2016 with a pain in his side. A CAT or CT scan revealed an elevated diaphragm. But, it also showed a small nodule in his lung. So, for the next five years, he underwent annual CAT scans to monitor it.
"Then in late 2022, I had another CAT scan, and the nodule doubled in size," Barker said.
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A biopsy revealed cancerous cells, and Barker was diagnosed with Stage 1A lung cancer.
In early 2023, Dr. Rachel Medbery, a thoracic surgeon at St. David's South Austin Medical Center, removed the cancerous nodule, a small part of his lung and some lymph nodes in that area.
"Lung cancer is actually the most deadly, one of the most deadly causes of cancer we see in the United States. It kills more people every year than prostate cancer and breast cancer," Dr. Medberry said. "So, if we catch it early, then we can actually cure it with surgery. So, CT scans for patients who are high risk are going to catch nodules at a smaller stage, which means we can cure their cancer with surgery."
People who are at high risk for lung cancer, and qualify for annual low dose CAT scans, are those aged 50 to 80 who currently smoke, or have stopped within the last 15 years and smoked one pack a day for 20 years, or half-a-pack a day for 40.
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Barker had his initial scan for an unrelated problem, and Dr. Medbery says that's typically the case for non-smokers who are diagnosed with lung cancer.
"I think one of the things we need to work on as a medical community is expanding those screening guidelines. So, you think about, you know, all women get screened for breast cancer, everybody gets screened with a colonoscopy. But, not everyone is getting screened for lung cancer," Dr. Medbery said. "If you catch it early at State 1, there's a greater than 90 percent chance that you will be alive and cancer-free in five years."
Barker currently gets blood work and low-dose CAT scans done every six months to make sure he remains cancer-free. Barker, who did not need radiation or chemotherapy after surgery, is grateful his case was caught early.
"I'm blessed, life is good. I dodged a bullet here," Barker said. "I have a great family and lifestyle, and fortunately am in a position to enjoy these years. And no reason not to believe there won't be several more ahead of me."