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Lung Rapid Access Clinic
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Please note a referral letter is required before an appointment can be confirmed.
Useful Information
About our services
A Lung Rapid Access Clinic is available at Mater Private. This provides high-quality care for the early detection, diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer. This service is consultant-led, and is appropriate when there is concern for lung cancer based on symptoms or imaging findings.
Referrals will be triaged within two working days and patients will ordinarily receive an appointment within one week. A consultation and initial diagnostic testing will be completed within one week, by lung-specialised Consultants and their team.
Referrals are usually made because your GP may be concerned about your lungs on the basis of your symptoms or because an abnormality is detected on a X-ray or scan.
Symptoms that should be further evaluated:
- Coughing up blood-stained phlegm
- A cough that doesn't go away or a change in a long-term cough
- Repeated chest infections that won't go away even after antibiotics
- A hoarse voice
- Pain in your chest, especially when you cough or breathe in
- Persistent difficulty breathing
- Unexplained loss of weight or appetite
- Swelling around your face and neck
At the clinic, patients are seen by a lung specialist consultant who will assess your symptoms, perform a clinical assessment and discuss with you what diagnostic tests may be required.
A specialised lung nurse coordinator helps arrange and coordinate these tests and is available to discuss what’s involved and help you through this process. Most patients require additional tests to be done as part of their evaluation.
Completing each of these investigations means it can be a very busy few days for some patients. We will aim to coordinate the test times and dates to limit the amount of travel required, and to complete all initial tests within one week. Further tests may be required at a later stage. You will be given written information, a diary to keep track of your appointments, and contact numbers for the lung nurse coordinator.
As part of your initial assessment, a number of tests may be performed such as:
- CT scan: CT stands for computerised tomography. It is a scanning machine which gives a detailed picture of the inside of your body.
Depending on the results of these tests, some additional tests may also be required:
- Bronchoscopy: This test uses a small tube with a camera at one end to look through your airways and into your lungs.
Our consultants
Our team
Our consultants are supported by our specialist nursing and administration teams.
