HOBART — Patients waiting to hear whether or not they have lung cancer will have answers sooner thanks to a combination of minimally-invasive technologies being used at the hospitals of Community Healthcare System.

Lung cancer is one of the deadliest forms of cancer for both men and women, but has an 88 percent survival rate at 10 years when diagnosed at Stage 1. St. Mary Medical Center in Hobart, Community Hospital in Munster and St. Catherine Hospital in East Chicago are using advanced technologies to screen for lung cancer. Once diagnosed, minimally-invasive technology also is being used to reach and biopsy previously unattainable lesions deep in the lungs.