Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the United States. Approximately 180,000 new cases are diagnosed each year.

While surgical intervention offers the best chance of a cure for those with early-stage lung cancer, the traditional open-chest procedure typically requires a week’s recovery in the hospital, with an extended recovery at home.

Now there is a new option called Video-Assisted Lobectomy (VATS), for select patients as treatment of early-stage lung cancer. This new, minimally invasive procedure is now offered at Hanover Hospital. Benefits for the patient include less pain, a faster recovery, a shorter hospital stay and a proven success rate.

Dr. Wesley Harden, a Hanover Thoracic and General Surgeon, is trained to perform the new procedure. He explained that a lobectomy, the surgical removal of a large section of lung, is the most common surgery performed to treat lung cancer. During traditional surgery, a long incision is made on the side of the chest between the ribs, and the ribs are spread apart to expose the lung.

The new VATS lobectomy is much less invasive. Several small incisions are made in the chest to provide access to the chest cavity without spreading the ribs. Guided by images on a computer monitor, the surgeon uses a thorascope (a small video camera) and surgical instruments to remove the tumor or affected tissue from the lung through the incisions. Patients typically can return to work in 1 or 2 weeks, versus 6 to 8 weeks with the open-chest procedure.

“Laparoscopic (video-assisted) procedures have become the standard of practice,” said Dr. Harden. Though the new VATS procedure is considered for every patient, not all are candidates. Traditional methods may be more appropriate for some patients, depending upon their medical condition.

For more information, please contact Dr. Harden at (717) 637-1202.