DGMC surgeons conduct new, less invasive surgery for lung cancer

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  • By 60th Medical Group
  • Public Affairs
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  Surgeons at David Grant USAF Medical Center completed the medical institution's first minimally invasive curative procedure for lung cancer recently as part of a joint venture between the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs.

The procedure, referred to as video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery, was performed on a 68-year-old woman with a malignant lung tumor of the right upper lobe. The entire lobe was removed as definitive cancer treatment using two small incisions in the chest as recommended by the National Cancer Institute and the Society of Thoracic Surgeons.

The VATS approach has been associated with several documented benefits over conventional, open surgery for lung cancer operations, including decreased pain, decreased hospital stay, decreased cost, faster return to full activities and decreased overall complications. However, recent articles in The Annals of Thoracic Surgery and The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery suggest as few as 5 to 20 percent of curative lung cancer surgeries are performed by VATS.

"VATS lobectomy is a tremendous advance to our lung cancer patients due to its many demonstrated advantages over traditional incisions," said Lt. Col. (Dr.) B. Zane Atkins, 60th Surgical Operations Squadron chief of cardiothoracic surgery. "At DGMC, VATS is the preferred approach for all noncardiac chest operations."

Patients at DGMC agree.

"It's great having this special treatment available here at Travis," wrote the patient in a thank you letter to the heart, lung and vascular clinic staff. "The HLVC is fairly new, but has made a lasting impression on me. The teamwork is phenomenal, starting with the first clinic visit through surgery and recovery - patient care was superb from start to finish."

In the near future, DGMC will expand services and therapies for lung cancer patients to include less invasive cancer staging and robotic surgery options.
Prospective cardiac and thoracic surgical patients may be seen at the DGMC heart, lung, and vascular center by calling 423-2300.