Treating Lung Cancer with Minimally Invasive Techniques
Guest blog post by Angelo T. Reyes, MD.
As a surgeon at Beth Israel Medical Center, I use a range of surgical techniques to treat my lung cancer patients. Advancing minimally invasive techniques like robotic surgery and video assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) allow for very small incisions and limited trauma to the body, resulting in faster recovery times, shorter hospital stays and less pain and scarring for patients.
Robotic thoracic surgery is the very latest advance in minimally invasive approaches to traditional lung cancer and Beth Israel is a citywide leader in the field. When I operate on a patient robotically, I accomplish all the goals of traditional lung cancer surgery, but I use only tiny incisions through which I insert the robot’s special instruments, which allows me to see the structures inside the chest via three-dimensional, high-definition optics. In fact, I see the structures better and more accurately than if I were operating in an open surgery using just my own eyes!
A recent lung cancer patient was able to go home the following day after robotic surgery. One week later, he was experiencing minimal pain and all his incisions were well healed. This patient had essentially returned to the normal functioning he enjoyed before his surgery. Compare this to traditional lung cancer surgery patients who are in the hospital for one week and have to wait up to eight weeks or longer before they can return to their regular activities of daily living and you can see why, in my opinion, robotic surgery is a real game changer in treating patients with lung cancer.
Video assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) is another surgical technique we use to treat lung cancer that carries the benefits of minimally invasive surgery. Watch this video where I explain how VATS works.
Each case requires careful determination on which type of surgical technique will best serve the patient, but continually advancing minimally invasive techniques are letting many patients get back to their lives quicker and with less pain. Learn more about how you can reduce your risk for lung cancer at www.cancerteam.com.
Angelo T. Reyes, MD is Chief of Minimally Invasive and Robotic Thoracic Surgery at Beth Israel Medical Center and Beth Israel Brooklyn; Chief of Thoracic Surgery at Beth Israel Brooklyn; and Chief of the Asian Services Program at Beth Israel Medical Center.