DEKALB, IL — Northwestern Medicine Kishwaukee Hospital recently celebrated a milestone – its 100^th robotic-assisted bronchoscopy surgery. In the innovative procedure, a surgeon takes biopsies of the lung, and a pathologist is present in the room during the procedure. They can diagnose lung cancer in real time. 

Robotic-assisted bronchoscopy is a game-changer for patients in DeKalb and the surrounding communities. The high-tech option is less invasive for patients needing a lung biopsy. Physicians can access the harder-to-reach nodules in the peripheral lung more quickly and safely. Most lung nodules, about 70 percent, are in the peripheral lung, or outer regions of the lung.  

“It’s incredibly stressful for patients to wait for biopsy results. To be able to minimally acquire a tissue sample and analyze rapidly, we can not only ease some of that anxiety for patients, but we can also swiftly get them to treatment,” says Daniel Coomes, DO, an interventional pulmonologist at the Canning Thoracic Institute at Northwestern Medicine Kishwaukee Hospital.

For the procedure, 3D and specialized software is used to chart out a path to the area of concern in a patient's lung. During the bronchoscopy, Coomes uses a controller to navigate a 3.5 mm catheter, which can move 180 degrees in any direction, to the target. Computer-guided navigation and a camera probe provide the physician a real-time view of the lung.  When the nodule is reached, the catheter locks on. Sensors hold it in place as the lungs fill and deflate with each breath. Tissue samples are removed for biopsy. With the tools, an interventional pulmonologist can mark the nodule with a fluorescent dye. This can help a surgeon to remove as little lung tissue as possible in the future.

"Catching the cancer so early was a blessing”

For Nick Brenkus of Gilberts, Ill., the robotic-assisted bronchoscopy was a smooth procedure that helped him get his cancer diagnosis early - making it easier to fight. For three years, Dr. Coomes had monitored a small spot shown on CT imaging of Brenkus’s lung. When it began to grow, he recommended the robotic-assisted bronchoscopy. 

“Quite honestly, he doesn't really remember too much about [the procedure] because it was so easy and so painless,” Nick’s wife, Susan, recalled. “He went in that morning. Dr. Coomes did the bronchoscopy. He was there for maybe another hour in recovery in Kishwaukee. Dr. Coomes said, ‘You know, you might end up with a sore throat or a little achiness,’ but he came home and the next day was back to Nick.”

The biopsy taken during the procedure showed Brenkus had stage one adenocarcinoma, the most common subtype of lung cancer. With a family history of cancer, Nick knew that catching cancer in stage one meant the cancer is small and had not spread to other parts of the body, meaning it was more favorable to treat. 

Because they caught it so early, he was able to have the cancer surgically removed by Northwestern Medicine thoracic surgeon Andrew Arndt, MD. The 76-year-old was able to avoid chemo or radiation because of it. 

“Any of the follow-ups since the surgery have all been good,” Brenkus shared. 

“The fact that Dr. Coomes saw this early on and continued to keep an eye on it really helped with identifying the issue soon enough that we caught this so early. That is a blessing,” Brenkus’ wife Susan said. 

Expanding Access to Robotic Procedures in Dekalb

Robotic-assisted bronchoscopy is one of several robotic-assisted procedures Northwestern Medicine Kishwaukee Hospital offers. Last year, they completed a $15 million renovation of its surgery suite. Upgrades included adding a second surgical robot and expanding access to minimally invasive robotic surgeries.

“We’re dedicated to making sure our patients have access to these advanced, minimally invasive procedures close to home. This is critical to early diagnosis and treatments for our patients and ensures the highest level of care is available for our community, in our community,” said Maura O’Toole, president of Northwestern Medicine Kishwaukee Hospital.

Robotic-assisted procedures enable a gentler, more precise approach, helping patients heal faster and return to their daily routines with minimal downtime. Robotic surgical technology can also support prostate, kidney, bladder, and gynecological operations, as well as general surgery procedures like hernia repairs, bowel resections, and appendix removals. 

November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the United States, about one in five cancer deaths. More people die of lung cancer than of colon, breast, and prostate cancers combined.

To learn more about robotic-assisted bronchoscopy at Northwestern Medicine, visit https://www.nm.org/conditions-and-care-areas/treatments/ion-lung-screening.

For more information on the Northwestern Medicine Canning Thoracic Institute, visit https://www.nm.org/conditions-and-care-areas/pulmonary.

LAKE FOREST, Ill. — Nov. 24, 2025 — Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States, claiming more lives than breast, colon and prostate cancers combined.

While overall cases are declining thanks to reduced tobacco use, experts warn of a troubling trend: 10% to 20% of lung cancers — about 20,000 to 40,000 cases annually — occur in people who have never smoked.

“Historically, lung cancer was synonymous with smoking, but we’re seeing more cases in younger, healthy non-smokers,” said Daniel Dammrich, MD, an oncologist at the Northwestern Medicine Catherine Gratz Griffin Lake Forest Hospital.

“Environmental factors like air pollution, radon exposure and genetic mutations are likely contributors, but we don’t fully understand why. What we do know is that early detection saves lives,” Dammrich said.

A non-smoker and endurance athlete gets a stunning diagnosis

For Kevin Humphrey, a 39-year-old endurance athlete and father of two from Traverse City, Michigan, lung cancer was the last thing on his mind.

In early 2024, while training for an Ironman triathlon, Humphrey developed a persistent cough, shortness of breath and back pain. Initially treated for pneumonia, his symptoms persisted for months.

Seeking a second opinion, he scheduled an appointment with Jessica Johnson, MD, a pulmonologist with the Canning Thoracic Institute at Northwestern Medicine McHenry Hospital, not far from where Humphrey’s parents live in Crystal Lake. To better understand what may be causing Humphrey’s symptoms, Dr. Johnson performed a robotic bronchoscopy in April 2024.

On May 1, 2024, Humphrey received a shocking diagnosis — stage 4 non-small cell adenocarcinoma, a form of lung cancer.

“I almost blacked out when I heard the words ‘lung cancer,’” Humphrey said. “I’ve never smoked a day in my life. It wasn’t even on my radar.”

Developing a treatment plan

Further testing revealed Humphrey’s cancer carried an EGFR genetic mutation, enabling doctors to use a targeted therapy called Osimertinib, also known as Tagrisso. Prescribed in conjunction with chemotherapy, the treatments began shrinking the tumor that was in and around his left lung.

“We were able to shrink down the tumor considerably. When we looked at his scans, and because he's so young and robust, we thought that we may be able to go in and surgically remove the rest,” said Dr. Dammrich.

Dr. Dammrich referred Humphrey to Ankit Bharat, MD, chief of thoracic surgery and director of the Canning Thoracic Institute. The initial surgical plan involved removing Humphrey’s left lung.

“I think that was probably the second most shocking piece of it. The initial plan was to remove the entire left lung,” Humphrey said. “What I've loved doing for the last 10 years was endurance sports and running and biking. I had no idea if I'd be doing that ever again.”

Pivoting on the operating table

Imaging taken before the surgery showed the chemotherapy and targeted therapy had further shrunk the tumors, which led to a new surgical recommendation — removing the upper lobe of the left lung to allow Humphrey to maintain his quality of life.

On September 13, 2024 at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Dr. Bharat removed a large section of the upper lobe and a couple smaller cancerous sections.

It was a more complicated surgery than expected and it left Humphrey with a 20-inch incision on this back, but the surgery was successful.

Today, Humphrey shows no evidence of disease and continues on targeted therapy.

Determined to race again

Despite losing lung capacity and enduring a grueling recovery, Humphrey set an ambitious goal: to complete an Ironman triathlon one year after surgery.

On September 14, 2025, he crossed the finish line not far from his Traverse City home at the Michigan Ironman 70.3. He completed the endurance event in 5 hours and 27 minutes — just one year and one day after his surgery.

Several weeks later, on October 12, 2025, Humphrey ran the Chicago Marathon. While this was his 6^th time completing the 26.2-mile course, it was the first time he ran the race without a portion of his left lung.

“I have two young boys,” he said. “I wanted to show them that life throws challenges at you, but you push through. Setting those goals gave me something to fight for every day.”

The rise in lung cancer among non-smokers

While smoking remains the leading risk factor, the rise in lung cancer among non-smokers is concerning.

Adenocarcinoma, the most common type in non-smokers, accounts for nearly 60% of cases in women and 45% in men. Experts cite air pollution, radon and genetic mutations as key drivers of this trend.

“Listen to your body. If you have a persistent cough or unexplained symptoms, seek care,” Dr. Dammrich said. “Early detection is critical — and with advances in targeted therapies, there is hope.”

Humphrey echoed that message: “Advocate for yourself. Push for answers. There’s hope with today’s treatments, but you have to catch it early.”

About Northwestern Medicine

Northwestern Medicine is committed to advancing cancer care through research, innovation and patient-centered treatment. 

For more information on lung cancer screening and treatment options, visit nm.org.

CHICAGO – November 20, 2025 – In a new study of nearly 1,000 consecutive patients treated for lung cancer at Northwestern Medicine, researchers discovered only 35% would have qualified for screening according to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) screening criteria. The two-thirds of patients who would have been excluded were disproportionately women and never-smokers. Currently, USPSTF recommends annual lung cancer screenings for adults ages 50-80 who have a 20 pack-year smoking history and currently smoke or have quit within the past 15 years – a narrow window that excludes many vulnerable individuals.  

In the new study, published on November 21 in JAMA Network Open, Northwestern Medicine researchers recommend expanding the universal age-based screening to 40-85. They estimate this would detect 94% of lung cancers, preventing more than 26,000 extra deaths annually. The research also demonstrates that such screening would be remarkably cost-effective, with the minimal risks from radiation exposure or biopsies far outweighed by the potential to save lives.

“We moved to universal age-based screening for breast and colon cancer with tremendous success, and we need to move to the same approach for lung cancer. Chest screening offers something unique – with one low-dose scan, we can assess lungs, heart and bones comprehensively. This baseline scan becomes invaluable for monitoring their health over time,” said Ankit Bharat, MD, chief of thoracic surgery and executive director of the Northwestern Medicine Canning Thoracic Institute.

Lung cancer remains America’s deadliest cancer, claiming more lives than breast, colon and prostate cancers combined, accounting for one in every five cancer deaths among both men and women. The disease is particularly insidious: nearly 80% of cases aren’t discovered until they’ve reached advanced stages, largely because symptoms rarely appear until it’s too late. The widespread misconception that only smokers develop lung cancer, combined with limited screening access for those without tobacco history, contributes to these devastating statistics. Researchers at the Canning Thoracic Institute predict that a universal age-based screening (40-85) could enhance detection, improve cost-effectiveness and address health inequities. 

Providing low-dose CT screening to all eligible adults

In response to these findings, Northwestern Medicine has launched the Lung Health Center at the Canning Thoracic Institute to detect lung, heart and bone conditions earlier. The center, supported by a generous gift from John and Rita Canning, will encourage lung cancer screening for Northwestern Medicine patients and conduct studies to evaluate low-dose CT screening with necessary assessments in patients who might not qualify for lung cancer screening. In addition, scans from all patients will be evaluated for their ability to detect early pulmonary fibrosis, post- COVID lung damage, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis and other conditions affecting millions of Americans. The results of these screenings will be studied and published to inform changes to existing guidelines.  

The scan that takes less than 10 seconds and doesn’t need any intravenous dyes provides a complete picture of the chest cavity, creating a baseline image patients can keep for life. This approach also addresses critical gaps in preventive care, particularly for the growing number of patients experiencing lasting respiratory effects from COVID-19 and other environmental exposures.

"Nearly six years after the pandemic's start, we're seeing increasing numbers of patients with lung scarring and fibrosis from COVID-19, especially those who get reinfected with respiratory viruses," said Dr. Bharat. “The damage compounds with each infection. Early detection through comprehensive screening can help us intervene before these conditions progress to requiring transplantation.”

Health concerns beyond the lungs

The Lung Health Center addresses multiple health concerns simultaneously. Beyond respiratory conditions, the screening can detect coronary calcium deposits that indicate cardiovascular risk and can identify early signs of osteoporosis, which is particularly important for women's health. Currently, cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of non-cancer deaths nationally, while lung disease, including cancer, represents the top cancer-related mortality for both men and women.

"This initiative transforms how we approach chest health comprehensively," said Momen Wahidi, MD, interventional pulmonologist and medical director of the Canning Thoracic Institute. "Instead of waiting for symptoms to appear, we're giving patients and physicians a complete picture of chest health that can guide preventive care across multiple specialties."

The center particularly encourages screening for individuals who may have sustained lung damage from various sources:

·       COVID-19 survivors experiencing ongoing respiratory issues

·       People exposed to wildfire smoke, industrial pollution, or high radon levels

·       Individuals with family history of lung disease or pulmonary fibrosis

·       Those exposed to secondhand smoke, vaping, or marijuana use

·       Asian women and other demographics at elevated risk for lung conditions

·       Anyone seeking baseline chest health assessment

“We're seeing younger patients with respiratory problems from vaping, environmental exposures, and COVID-19 who would never qualify for traditional screening,” said Scott Budinger, MD, chief of pulmonary and critical care at the Canning Thoracic Institute. “This lung screening approach allows us to catch interstitial lung disease, pulmonary fibrosis, lung cancer, and other conditions years before they'd typically be diagnosed.”

Young mothers diagnosed with lung cancer

Danielle Hoeg

Danielle Hoeg, a 45-year-old mother of three from Chicago, knows the importance of comprehensive screenings. In March 2023, Hoeg had finished breastfeeding her son and felt like something was “off” in her body. She scheduled appointments for a mammogram, colonoscopy, skin check and bloodwork, but everything came back normal – still, Hoeg couldn’t help but feel like something was wrong.

In March 2024, Hoeg underwent a full body MRI scan and the findings revealed something was happening on her lung. She was urged to see Dr. Bharat who ordered a CT and PET scan and the results came back showing the spot on Hoeg’s lung was 99.9% cancerous. Hoeg was in disbelief as she had never smoked and was in picture perfect health. Soon after, she underwent a minimally invasive lung conserving surgery at Northwestern Memorial Hospital where Dr. Bharat removed the spot on her lung and confirmed the non-smoker had an aggressive stage 1 lung cancer. Today, Hoeg is cancer-free but still carries the experience with her.

“Every young person I see, I immediately think, ‘do they have lung cancer? How do I convince them to get checked out?’” said Hoeg. “With more women, never-smokers and young people being diagnosed with lung cancer, I’m a huge advocate for the Lung Health Center and encourage adults to get screened.”  

Carla Tapia

Carla Tapia, a mother of three from Beltsville, Md., was shocked to learn about her stage 4 lung cancer diagnosis at the age of 33. Tapia had some smoking exposure during her teenage years but quit when she was 18 and currently doesn’t meet the USPSTF screening criteria for lung cancer.

In December 2019, Tapia developed a fever and was diagnosed with pneumonia. Her symptoms progressed to a bad cough with mucus, but as the COVID pandemic hit, Tapia remained focused on her three kids and put her own health on the backburner.

By July 2020, she could no longer catch her breath and that’s when she was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer, which had spread to both lungs and was inoperable. For the next four years, Tapia underwent chemotherapy treatments, but the cancer kept growing. Out of options, she heard about the DREAM Program at Northwestern Medicine, which provides double-lung transplants to select patients with advanced lung cancers.

By the summer of 2024, Tapia’s health was quickly declining, and she flew to Chicago on supplemental oxygen for a transplant evaluation. On September 12, 2024, Tapia received a life-saving double-lung transplant at Northwestern Memorial, and the 38-year-old is now back home in Maryland.

“When I was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer, I was told there was no cure, but thanks to Northwestern Medicine, I’m alive today and no longer having to go to the hospital for weekly chemotherapy treatments. Instead, I just finished by bachelor’s degree and am hoping to go to law school,” said Tapia. “I keep hearing stories about young people being diagnosed with lung cancer, and if we could expand the screening guidelines, I believe more lung cancers could be caught at earlier stages, and more lives would be saved.”

To schedule an appointment

Patients can access the Lung Health Center through a simple process beginning with a phone consultation. Marisol Munoz, nurse practitioner for the program, guides patients through each step.

“We make this as seamless as possible for patients,” said Munoz. “From the initial call through receiving results in 24-48 hours, our team coordinates everything. We work with insurance when covered and ensure eligible patients have access regardless of coverage through the Canning's philanthropic support.”

The Lung Health Center also includes a research component where participants contribute de-identified data to help establish new screening guidelines. The center incorporates artificial intelligence to provide rapid, highly sensitive analysis of results, with the goal of delivering comprehensive health insights within seconds of scanning.

The Lung Health Center has already launched at Northwestern Medicine McHenry Hospital and is expanding systemwide by the end of the year. Anyone over the age of 21 is eligible, with particular emphasis on those over 40 or with risk factors.

For more information or to schedule a screening consultation, call 312.695.1800 and mention the Lung Health Center, or email lunghealthcenter@nm.org.

The pulmonology and lung surgery program at Northwestern Memorial Hospital is proud to be the highest-ranked in Illinois for 14 straight years and No. 7 in the U.S. For more information, visit nm.org/pulmonary.

Chicago, IL – August 5, 2025 – For 28-year-old Dean Comstock of Syracuse, New York, music has always played an important role in his life. When he started playing guitar at the age of nine, one of his favorite songs was “Sweet Home Chicago,” but little did he know, 19 years later, that song would hold a whole new meaning.

In October 2023, Dean developed a cough that wouldn’t go away. At first, his doctors thought it was pneumonia or acid reflux, but on August 8, 2024, Dean was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. As an active community member who worked three jobs and didn’t have a history of smoking, Dean was shocked. He started chemotherapy, but his breathing got worse, and he soon had to rely on supplemental oxygen. Dean’s cancer was terminal, and he was quickly running out of options.  

That’s when his mom, Jill Comstock, who happened to receive a lung transplant in 2021 for pulmonary fibrosis at another hospital, asked her medical team if a lung transplant could be a possibility for him at their site. Her doctors told the family only one health system in the United States was known to perform lung transplants on patients with terminal lung cancer, and Dean would need to travel to Northwestern Medicine in Chicago to participate in a clinical trial known as DREAM, where select patients with advanced lung cancers receive double-lung transplants.

This March, Dean arrived at Northwestern Memorial Hospital where he underwent a transplant evaluation and met with Ankit Bharat, MD, chief of thoracic surgery and director of the Northwestern Medicine Canning Thoracic Institute.

By May 8, Dean was listed for a double-lung transplant and eight days later, he received his new lungs on May 16.

Making beautiful music together

One month later, on June 27, Dean celebrated his five-year wedding anniversary with his wife, McKayla Comstock, who is a music teacher at Jordan-Elbridge High School in Jordan, New York. In fact, the two first met in the same music room where McKayla now teaches, and they often play music together at weddings and special events.

Two months after his transplant, Dean and McKayla played for an audience in Chicago they’ll never forget – Dr. Bharat and members of the lung transplant team who helped save Dean’s life. Dean strummed his guitar in a clinic exam room as McKayla sang the lyrics to “Sweet Home Chicago.”

“The song has always been one of my favorite songs to play, and I really never knew why since I’m from Syracuse, New York, but now that a team of surgeons, doctors and nurses in Chicago saved my life, the city and the song will always hold a special place in my heart,” said Dean. “This is where miracles happen; right here at Northwestern Medicine.”  

Dean will remain in Chicago for one-year post-transplant so he can be near his medical team, and he’s looking forward to the future.

“I’m so thankful to be able to breathe fresh air every day. I’m thankful for my donor, my community, my family and everyone who has helped me along the way. I’m going to smell the roses a little bit more and enjoy life. Once you go through something like this, you learn how precious life really is,” said Dean.

Lung cancer cases on the rise in young people

Cancers of the lung are the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States with more people dying of lung cancer than colon, breast and prostate cancers combined, and doctors have noticed a startling new trend.

“On a daily basis, we’re seeing more young people being diagnosed with lung cancer,” said Dr. Bharat. “Conventionally, lung cancer has been associated with smoking and older age. While smoking certainly increases your chances of developing lung cancer, we’re seeing an explosion of lung cancer cases in patients who have never smoked or had limited smoking exposure – like Dean.”

The Canning Thoracic Institute has launched a universal lung cancer screening program where patients who meet certain criteria can get screened for lung cancer, even if their insurance doesn’t provide financial support. The goal is to share the findings with the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force and urge them to let all patients beyond a certain age receive an annual lung cancer screening.

“If lung cancer is causing the most deaths in this country, impacting smokers and nonsmokers, we need a universal screening program just like we have for breast and colon cancer,” added Dr. Bharat.

About the DREAM Program

To date, Northwestern Medicine surgeons have performed more than 50 lung transplants for patients with advanced lung cancers.

Using lessons learned from pioneering COVID-19 lung transplantation in the U.S., they developed the novel surgical technique to clear the cancer during surgery while minimizing the risk of spread that has plagued prior such attempts at other hospitals.

“We’re very proud of the DREAM Program. This innovative technique involves putting the patient on full heart and lung bypass, delicately taking both cancer-ridden lungs out at the same time along with the lymph nodes, washing the airways and the chest cavity to clear the cancer, and then putting new lungs in,” said Dr. Bharat. “These patients can have billions of cancer cells in the lungs, so we must be extremely meticulous to not let a single cell spill into the patient’s chest cavity or blood stream. We believe this technique can help reduce the risk of recurrence, which we learned through our experience with pioneering COVID-19 lung transplants in 2020.”

Since Northwestern Medicine’s Lung Transplant Program first started in 2014, they’ve performed more than 600 lung transplant procedures for patients with end-stage lung diseases such as COVID, lung cancer, cystic fibrosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and more. In 2024, Northwestern Medicine had the shortest wait time for a lung transplant in the U.S. with a median wait time of four days. They also performed 148 lung transplants, the most performed at any transplant center in the U.S. for 2024.

Patients interested in being evaluated for a lung transplant can contact the 24-hour referral line at 312.695.5864 or 844.639.5864. For more information about the Lung Transplant Program or lung cancer screenings, visit nm.org. 

CHICAGO – June 15, 2025 – Fifteen years ago, Andrew Wagner received a life-saving liver transplant. A relatively common autoimmune disease known as primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) had damaged the bile ducts in his liver, causing it to fail.

After six weeks in a medically induced coma, Wagner received his new liver at a Florida hospital in October 2010. Despite facing major blood loss, post-surgical complications and multiple follow-up surgeries, he went on to work as a recruitment manager at a local blood bank in Orlando, where he shared his personal story of how organ and blood donation had saved his life. However, in 2022, a routine abdominal and chest CT scan revealed new cause for concern: stage 1 lung cancer.

“I was completely shocked. I had no symptoms at all and this was found incidentally,” said Wagner, a 55-year-old non-smoker from Winter Garden, Florida. “Little did I know that even with a positive outcome, this cancer diagnosis was going to lead to one of the biggest roadblocks of my life.”

A year after surgeons in Florida removed his cancerous lung nodule and declared him cancer-free, Wagner began experiencing a build-up of fluid around his lungs. To his surprise, the symptom wasn’t his cancer returning – his transplanted liver was starting to fail.  

“When you get cancer after a transplant, you’re really between a rock and a hard place,” said Satish Nadig, MD, PhD, transplant surgeon and director of the Northwestern Medicine Comprehensive Transplant Center. “When Andrew was diagnosed with lung cancer in Florida, some of his anti-rejection medications likely had to be reduced to give his immune system a chance to fight the disease, which may have contributed to rejection of his transplanted liver.”

The search for a second opinion

As Wagner’s condition worsened, his wife, Nicole Wagner, sprang into action. In the spring of 2024, she reached out to transplant centers across the country hoping that someone would agree to a second transplant. However, because Wagner had not been cancer-free for three to five years, they were told repeatedly that a retransplant wasn’t an option.

While searching for answers online, Wagner’s wife came across the story of Gary Gibbon, MD – a California physician who traveled to Northwestern Medicine to receive the first double-lung and liver transplant for advanced lung cancer in the U.S.

Since Dr. Gibbon had been transplanted with active lung cancer, the Wagners figured the transplant team at Northwestern Medicine might be willing to take on Wagner’s case. In October 2024, the couple traveled to Chicago to get Wagner evaluated for a second liver transplant at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. There, they received the ‘yes’ they had been searching for.

“Andrew was really on the brink when he first got to Chicago. He likely had months to live,” said Northwestern Medicine hepatologist Andres Duarte-Rojo, MD. “After presenting his case to our multidisciplinary selection committee, we determined that even with immunosuppression, the risk of his lung cancer relapsing was very low. Though we knew the surgery would be difficult, as retransplants tend to be, we were excited to offer him this critical chance for survival.”

On Dec. 16, 2024, surgeons at Northwestern Medicine began the complex process of retransplanting Wagner’s liver. Previous surgeries left him with a significant amount of scar tissue, making his old liver difficult to remove. To minimize blood loss during the extraction, surgeons placed Wagner on bypass to ensure he’d have adequate blood flow to his heart. While surgeons removed his old liver, his new liver was kept functioning outside the body in a device called “liver in a box,” which pumps warm, oxygenated blood through the organ to keep it healthy.

“Having access to this wide range of techniques allowed us to navigate Andrew’s transplant effectively,” said Northwestern Medicine transplant surgeon Zachary Dietch, MD. “It was an interesting blend of old and new – traditional methods like bypass used alongside the latest advancements in transplant such as ‘liver in a box.’”

A father heads home

Five months after surgery, Wagner’s new liver is functioning well and he remains cancer-free. Since returning home to Winter Garden, he has been focused on staying active with walking, weightlifting, swimming and biking around his neighborhood. He is looking forward to spending Father’s Day with his blended family including his wife and two biological daughters, Estella Wagner (16) and Ava Wagner (19), two step-daughters, Riley Swartz (20) and Taylor Castillo (23) and the family’s newest addition, granddaughter Isla Castillo, who was born in April 2025.

“This particular Father’s Day will be so incredibly joyous,” said Wagner. “Receiving the greatest gift of life from the most generous organ donor has given me the opportunity to witness all the future milestones in our daughters’ and granddaughter’s lives. Thanks to my donor and my incredible transplant team at Northwestern Medicine, I still get to be a dad and grandfather.”

“Andrew not only connected with me as a daddy, but as a daughter-daddy,” said Dr. Nadig. “A few days after his transplant, I was talking to Nicole about a trip to Disney World my wife and I had planned for our daughter’s eighth birthday. Living close to the theme park, the Wagners were able to gift me with ‘Mickey ears’ for us to surprise her with. It’s families like that who remind you why you got into medicine in the first place, and why we are willing to take on the most complicated cases at Northwestern Medicine.”

Advancements in transplant oncology

Northwestern Medicine is one of the few known health systems in the country focused on redefining the criteria for transplant eligibility, especially for patients with lung or colorectal cancer. To date, the Northwestern Medicine Canning Thoracic Institute has performed more than 50 lung transplants for patients with advanced lung cancers through a first-of-it’s-kind clinical program called DREAM (Double Lung Transplant Registry Aimed for Lung-Limited Malignancies).

In March 2025, the Northwestern Medicine Comprehensive Transplant Center launched a clinical program called CLEAR (Colorectal Metastasis to Liver Extraction with Auxiliary Transplant and Delayed Resection) to expand liver transplant access for patients with stage 4 colorectal cancer.

“It’s a very exciting time for the field of transplantation,” said Dr. Nadig. “What we’ve learned in the past is not necessarily what we’re taking with us into the future. I think it’s time to re-examine what we think we know about the indications for transplant, and become more inclusive of those who have recently faced or who are facing cancer. Northwestern Medicine should not be a stop along a patient’s journey – it should the destination.”

For more information about Northwestern Medicine’s transplant programs, visit nm.org.

CHICAGO – May 11, 2025 – Eight months after giving birth to twins, Cornelia Tischmacher of Berlin, Germany, had a case of pneumonia that wouldn’t go away. The then 40-year-old went to the doctor in January 2018, where tests showed she had stage 3 lung cancer. As a nonsmoker who was healthy, worked out and had a busy career as an art historian and gallerist, Tischmacher was shocked by the diagnosis.

“I absolutely loved my job and had to travel quite a bit for work, but when I was diagnosed with advanced lung cancer, my priorities immediately shifted. I knew I had to do everything I could to stay alive for my children,” said Tischmacher. “My twins would never hear me say the words, ‘Mommy is going to die.’”

In June 2018, Tischmacher underwent surgery and chemotherapy to get rid of the cancer, but by October 2019, it returned. Doctors told her palliative care with chemotherapy and immunotherapy was the only option to possibly slow down the cancer’s relentless progression.  

By June 2024, she could no longer breathe without supplemental oxygen and that’s when Tischmacher discovered a first-of-its-kind clinical program at Northwestern Medicine in Chicago called DREAM (Double Lung Transplant Registry Aimed for Lung-Limited Malignancies), where select patients with advanced lung cancers confined to the lungs can be considered for a double-lung transplant. Currently, Northwestern Medicine is one of the only known health systems in the world with a dedicated lung transplant program for patients with advanced cancers limited to the lungs. 

“During our first telehealth visit with Cornelia, it was clear to us that she was at the end of the road,” said Ankit Bharat, MD, chief of thoracic surgery and director of the Northwestern Medicine Canning Thoracic Institute who performed Tischmacher’s transplant. “Cornelia had failed every other medical treatment available to her, including surgeries, chemotherapy and immunotherapy, but the cancer continued to progress to stage 4 and became so advanced that it was causing her lungs to fail. She couldn’t breathe, and a lung transplant was her only option to fix the lung failure, remove all the cancer cells from her body, and give her a fighting chance to be there for her twins.”

Leaving her life in Berlin for a second chance at life

After being accepted to the DREAM Program, Tischmacher boarded an air ambulance and flew from Berlin to Chicago in December 2024. She was admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and placed on the transplant waiting list on Christmas Eve. Two days after being listed, Tischmacher received new lungs on December 26, which was the second day of Christmas in Germany.

“With how quickly her disease was progressing, it was clear to us that Cornelia would not be able to leave the hospital without receiving a lung transplant. She was requiring up to 60 liters of oxygen per minute through her nasal cannulae, which is the absolute limit you can supply without a ventilator. For that very reason, we worked around the clock to complete her lung transplant workup and arrange all the logistics needed for her to stay in the United States,” said Krishnan Warrior, MD, a lung transplant pulmonologist at the Canning Thoracic Institute who has been caring for Tischmacher since her arrival.

“Receiving my lung transplant on December 26 was the best Christmas present I could have asked for,” said Tischmacher. “I remember waking up and thinking for the first time in a long time, I will be able to go to museums and go for bike rides with my kids without bringing an oxygen tank with me. I could finally breathe again. It was such a gift that I don’t take for granted, and I encourage everyone (who is able) to register as an organ donor – not just in the United States, but also in Germany.”

Reuniting with her 8-year-old twins

Tischmacher spent one week recovering at Northwestern Memorial before being discharged to an apartment in Chicago. The 48-year-old will remain in the city for one-year post-transplant to be near her medical team. The most difficult part is being far away from her husband, Udo Kittelmann, and their 8-year-old twins, Leo and Lucie, who remain in Berlin to continue their schooling. The twins were able to visit their mom for the first time since December, when they were reunited in Chicago in mid-April for spring break.

“Seeing my children for the first time in four months was absolutely wonderful. The weight of my illness had weighed them down, and to see me healthy again was overwhelming – but in a good way,” said Tischmacher. “It’s a happy continuation of the story because it could have been so different. When we said our initial ‘goodbyes’ in December, it was much more dramatic because we didn’t know how things would go.”

Tischmacher currently has no signs of cancer in her body and is now able to walk around Chicago, touring the local art galleries, breathing on her own. She was the first patient from Germany to receive a lung transplant at Northwestern Medicine. In the past, patients have also traveled from Asia, Brazil, Colombia, Canada, the Middle East and other parts of Europe for a lung transplant. The team at Northwestern Medicine International Health welcomes patients from around the globe who seek advanced treatment for a variety of medical conditions.   

“Medicine is evolving rapidly, but unfortunately, the way medicine is practiced globally, not all treatments are available at all sites right away,” said Dr. Bharat. “Often when a center develops something new, it takes years for it to be available across the country or internationally. It’s very important for patients to find a second opinion and take matters into their own hands when they’re being told there are no other options.”

Lung cancer cases on the rise in young women

Cancers of the lung are the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States with more people dying of lung cancer than colon, breast and prostate cancers combined, and doctors have noticed a startling new trend.

“On a daily basis, we’re seeing more young women being diagnosed with lung cancer,” said Dr. Bharat. “Conventionally, lung cancer has been associated with smoking and older age. While smoking certainly increases your chances of developing lung cancer, we’re seeing an explosion of lung cancer cases in patients who have never smoked or had limited smoking exposure – like Cornelia. The majority of them are young, and the majority are women, and we still aren’t sure why this is happening.”

The Canning Thoracic Institute has started several research programs to try and understand why more women are being diagnosed with lung cancer. They also launched a universal lung cancer screening program where patients who meet certain criteria can get screened for lung cancer, even if their insurance doesn’t provide financial support. The goal is to share the findings with the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force and urge them to let all patients beyond a certain age receive an annual lung cancer screening.

“If lung cancer is causing the most deaths in this country, impacting smokers and nonsmokers, we need a universal screening program just like we have for breast and colon cancer,” added Dr. Bharat.

About the DREAM Program

To date, Northwestern Medicine surgeons have performed more than 50 lung transplants for patients with advanced lung cancers.

Using lessons learned from pioneering COVID-19 lung transplantation in the U.S., they developed the novel surgical technique to clear the cancer during surgery while minimizing the risk of spread that has plagued prior such attempts at other hospitals.

“We’re very proud of the DREAM Program. This innovative technique involves putting the patient on full heart and lung bypass, delicately taking both cancer-ridden lungs out at the same time along with the lymph nodes, washing the airways and the chest cavity to clear the cancer, and then putting new lungs in,” said Dr. Bharat. “These patients can have billions of cancer cells in the lungs, so we must be extremely meticulous to not let a single cell spill into the patient’s chest cavity or blood stream. We believe this technique can help reduce the risk of recurrence, which we learned through our experience with pioneering COVID-19 lung transplants in 2020.”

Since Northwestern Medicine’s Lung Transplant Program first started in 2014, they’ve performed more than 600 lung transplant procedures for patients with end-stage lung diseases such as COVID, lung cancer, cystic fibrosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and more. In 2024, Northwestern Medicine had the shortest wait time for a lung transplant in the U.S. with a median wait time of four days. They also performed 148 lung transplants, the most performed at any transplant center in the U.S. for 2024.

Patients interested in being evaluated for a lung transplant can contact the 24-hour referral line at 312.695.5864 or 844.639.5864. For more information about the Lung Transplant Program or lung cancer screenings, visit nm.org. 

CHICAGO – February 5, 2025 – In an effort to expand the donor pool for lung transplant recipients and give surgeons more time to removed diseased lungs, the Northwestern Medicine Canning Thoracic Institute (CTI) is now routinely repairing damaged donor lungs using “lungs in a box” (lung perfusion) technology and storing them for transplantation by putting “lungs in a fridge” (lung refrigeration). These innovative approaches are yielding dramatic benefits for patients and staff alike.

In 2024, CTI’s Lung Transplant Program finished the year by performing 148 lung transplants, their highest volume for a single year since the program began 10 years ago. For the first time, CTI also become the highest volume lung transplant center in the United States and achieved the shortest wait time for a lung transplant, with a median wait time of four days. 

“Since our lung transplant program launched 10 years ago, several innovations helped us reach these achievements for 2024. From performing the first COVID-19 lung transplants in the U.S., to starting a lung transplant program for select patients with advanced lung cancers, and replacing diseased lungs with breast implants to bridge patients to lung transplantation, we’re continuously thinking outside the box and ‘lungs in a fridge’ is another example,” said Ankit Bharat, MD, chief of thoracic surgery and director of the Canning Thoracic Institute. “In 2024, we used ‘lungs in a box’ to repair the most number of donor lungs that weren’t initially usable at Northwestern Medicine, enabling us to achieve a record wait list time of only four days. And now, with controlled lung refrigeration, we can keep the lungs alive outside the human body for an extended period of time, giving us more time to prepare for transplantation and perform the surgery.”

“With a combination of ‘lungs in a box’ and ‘lungs in a fridge’ technologies, we also now have the option for patients at any transplant center in the country or overseas who experience longer wait-times to dual list with us, and in 2024, patients traveled from places such as Germany, the United Kingdom and Columbia to receive a lung transplant at Northwestern Medicine,” said Ambalavanan Arunachalam, MD, pulmonologist and interim medical director of CTI’s Lung Transplant Program.  

Lung refrigeration was pioneered in Canada and Europe, and within the last few months, it was adopted successfully at Northwestern Medicine, where organ procurement specialists travel to hospitals across the United States to collect donor lungs, and once the lungs arrive at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, staff place them in a special refrigerator which is set at 10 degrees Celsius. The lungs can remain in the fridge up to 12 hours before transplantation when the conventional techniques only allowed them to stay outside for about six hours.  

“Prior to using the fridge, we were storing the donor lungs on ice, which is four degrees Celsius, and we had to perform the recipient lung implant surgery immediately without the opportunity to extend the preservation time,” said Anitha Chandrasekhar, DMSc, clinical lead for lung bioengineering with the Canning Thoracic Institute. “Studies show that 10-degree Celsius storage of lungs allows safe prolongation of cold ischemic times, results in better mitochondrial health with reduced inflammatory response, ultimately leading to better post-transplant outcomes, benefitting patients and health care teams.”

Four main benefits for using “lungs in a fridge”

Widens the donor pool

Lung refrigeration widens the donor pool by allowing Northwestern Medicine’s organ procurement team to travel greater distances for donor lungs. Previously, there was only so much time that the lungs could be kept alive outside the body, which restricted how far the organ procurement specialists could travel. From the moment they’d take the lungs out of the donor, they’d have six hours to package up the lungs, get to a local airport, fly to Chicago, drive to Northwestern Memorial, take the old lungs out and put the new lungs in.

“With this new type of preservation, our organ procurement specialists can fly to the East Coast, West Coast and potentially even Canada or Mexico. As a result, our wait times for lung transplant patients have dramatically gone down,” said Dr. Arunachalam.

Fewer overnight transplants

Storing donor lungs at 10 degrees Celsius allows for more flexible transplant scheduling. Lung refrigeration helps improve transplant logistics, which in turn, makes lung transplantation a semi-elective procedure performed during normal working hours.

“Previously, these transplants would happen in the middle of the night when the team may not be in the best physical or mental capacity. For example, if the procurement team arrives at 1 am with the donor lungs, we can now put the lungs in the fridge and wait to do the transplant at 7 am. By keeping the lungs preserved at 10 degrees Celsius, the team can operate during regular hours after a full night’s rest, which helps with success rates and lowers the chance of medical errors,” said Dr. Bharat. “Also, given the tough hours for lung transplant surgery, fewer surgeons have been interested in the field, resulting in a significant shortage of thoracic surgeons. But with this new strategy, more talented surgeons may be interested in adopting lung transplantation in their career.”

Improves surgical schedules

Transplants are often unpredictable. Donor lungs can become available on short notice, so in some instances, elective surgeries have to be cancelled in order to get the transplant done in time, which causes an inconvenience for patients who have been waiting for their elective surgeries (ex: cancer patients). “Lungs in a fridge” allows the surgical team to keep elective surgeries and schedule the lung transplant procedures during times that work best for staff and patients. It also helps lung transplant recipients because they no longer have to rush from their home to the hospital in a short period of time to get their lung transplants within the six-hour window.

“Lung refrigeration provides us with more options for getting our transplant recipients one step closer to a better quality of life,” said Denisha Gardner, organ procurement specialist with the Canning Thoracic Institute. “There are times when our recipients need a certain medication to be given hours before transplantation. Having the fridge allows us the opportunity to make sure everything is aligned for a successful procedure.”

More time to remove diseased lungs

Double-lung transplants are one of the most complex medical procedures in health care. Lung refrigeration gives surgeons more time to remove the diseased lungs, especially in patients with lung cancer.

Northwestern Medicine started a first-of-its-kind clinical program called DREAM that provides double-lung transplants to select patients with advanced lung cancers who are out of treatment options. With these patients, their cancer-ridden lungs must delicately be taken out at the same time along with the lymph nodes, then surgeons need to wash the airways and the chest cavity to clear the cancer before transplanting new lungs. These patients can have billions of cancer cells in the lungs, so surgeons must be extremely meticulous to not let a single cell spill into the patient’s chest cavity or blood stream.

Having more time in the operating room to remove the cancer-ridden lungs can help reduce the risk of recurrence.

Successful patient outcomes with lung refrigeration

Tadd Crosslin – Mansfield, Texas

Tadd Crosslin of Mansfield, Texas, (located in the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area) received a double-lung transplant at Northwestern Memorial on September 23, 2024. The 49-year-old who is married (wife is Courtney) with twin sons (Cody and Blake), was diagnosed with stage 3 colorectal cancer in 2016 at the age of 40, and it advanced to stage 4 by 2019.

While undergoing chemotherapy and surgery, Crosslin’s medical team noticed lung nodules forming but told him not to worry. Soon, the lung nodules started multiplying and Crosslin had hundreds of tumors on his lungs, which caused him to have difficulty breathing.

“I traveled to major health systems in Texas, California, Florida, New Jersey, New York and even Germany, looking for a second opinion, but they all told me there was nothing more they could do,” said Crosslin. “Giving up was never an option for me, and Northwestern Medicine doesn’t shy away from exploring new techniques and technology. Without them, I wouldn’t be here today.”

On September 23, Crosslin received his new lungs, but the surgery wasn’t easy. Because there were so many tumors and extensive cancer inside Crosslin’s old lungs, his explant was extremely difficult (see pictures here).

“Having the refrigerator was a game-changer in Tadd’s lung transplant procedure,” added Dr. Bharat. “Because his diseased lungs were fused so tightly to his chest cavity, we kept needing more time to remove them. We couldn’t let his new lungs go bad, so we were able to store them in the fridge until we were ready to transplant them.”

The Double Lung Replacement and Multidisciplinary Care (DREAM) Program is a first-of-its-kind clinical initiative at Northwestern Medicine that provides double-lung transplants to select patients with advanced lung cancers who are not responding to conventional treatments. To date, more than 40 patients have received double-lung transplants through the DREAM Program.

Amanda Long – Nashville, Tennessee

Amanda Long of Nashville, Tenn., is also a DREAM patient. The 48-year-old wife (husband is James) and mother of three daughters (Kenzie, Maddie and Makenna) was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer in September 2023.

“As a non-smoker who eats healthy and works out five-days-a-week, I was completely shocked by the diagnosis,” said Long.

When immunotherapy and chemotherapy treatments didn’t work, Long’s medical team in Nashville recommended she reach out to the lung transplant team at Northwestern Medicine. Long was listed for a lung transplant on August 15, 2024, and received her new lungs on August 21.

Because it took the surgical team longer to remove her diseased lungs due to the cancer, lung refrigeration was also used to store Long’s new lungs. Long is now back home in Nashville and will return to Northwestern Memorial once-a-month for follow up appointments.   

“The fridge is so simple and doesn’t further complicate what might be one of the more complex procedures in health care. If anything, it makes everything go more smoothly for the team in the operating room,” added Jeff Lysne, practice administrator for the Canning Thoracic Institute. “Overall, it’s been great to see such a simple innovation used to expand our donor pool and help more patients.”

For more information

In 2024, the lung transplant team used “lungs in a fridge” for approximately 12 patients, all with good outcomes. Since CTI’s Lung Transplant Program started in 2014, they’ve performed nearly 600 lung transplant procedures. Currently, more than 900 patients in the U.S. are waiting for new lungs.

Patients interested in being evaluated for a lung transplant can contact the referral line at 844.639.5864. For more information about Northwestern Medicine, as well as advanced therapies, visit nm.org. 

PALOS HEIGHTS, Ill. - If a spot on the lung is detected via imaging, patients want to know as quickly as possible if it is serious and what the next steps are. Many patients currently require multiple biopsies prior to a lung cancer diagnosis, which can add more time and anxiety to a patient’s journey to care. Northwestern Medicine Palos Hospital is now offering robotic-assisted bronchoscopy to enable earlier and more accurate diagnosis of lung cancer.

With the robotic tools, Interventional Pulmonologist Sara Greenhill, MD, can quickly and safely access and biopsy difficult-to-reach nodules in the peripheral lung, where more than 70% of cancer lung nodules are located. Previously, these areas of the lung would only be accessible via more invasive methods.

“The ultrathin tools and ability to maneuver the catheter around tight turns allows us to aim at small targets deep in the lung with precision and stability,” said Dr. Greenhill. “We can determine if the nodule is cancerous and obtain staging information during the same procedure to accelerate time to treatment.”

Prior to the procedure, Dr. Greenhill uses 3D imaging and specialized software to create a path to the area of concern in the lung. During the bronchoscopy, a controller is used to navigate the 3.5 mm catheter to the target. The catheter can articulate 180 degrees in any direction. In addition to computer-guided navigation, a camera probe provides real-time vision.

Once the nodule is reached, the catheter is locked, and sensors hold it in place as the lungs fill and deflate with each breath. Tissue samples are removed for biopsy. The tools also allow the interventional pulmonologist to mark the nodule with a fluorescent dye to help surgeons remove as little lung tissue as possible during minimally invasive robotic surgery.

Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer death in the United States, in part because it has no symptoms in its early stages. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force now recommends annual screening for lung cancer with low-dose computed tomography (CT) in adults between 50 and 80 years old who have a 20 pack-year or more smoking history, and who currently smoke or have quit within the past 15 years.

CT scanning has been proven to save lives by detecting cancer earlier when it is more treatable and survivable. However, CT screening also picks up incidental nodules that are of unclear significance. These findings can cause anxiety in many patients.

“Our goal is to diagnose cancer at an earlier stage when it can be more successfully treated,” said Dr. Greenhill. “With the new robotic tools, we can give our patients answers sooner and begin a treatment plan."

Robotic-assisted bronchoscopy is also available at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago and Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital in Winfield, Ill.

For more information about pulmonology and thoracic surgery at Northwestern Medicine visit Northwestern Medicine Canning Thoracic Institute.