September 28, 2007

 

UIC Surgeons Perform Illinois’ First Totally Robotic Lobectomy for lung Cancer

 

Patients diagnosed with lung cancer may benefit from a minimally invasive totally robotic procedure that requires only a few small incisions instead of a large open chest incision to remove a cancerous growth in the lung.

 

Surgeons at the University of Illinois Medical Center at Chicago are performing robotic-assisted lung resection surgery using the Intuitive da Vinci Surgical System for patients who would otherwise need traditional thoracotomy  through  a standard large incision in the chest wall and the separation or cutting of ribs to access the lungs.

 

"This is a new era in the treatment of lung cancer," said Dr. Pier Cristoforo Giulianotti, Lloyd M. Nyhus Professor of Surgery and Chief of the division of minimally invasive, general and robotic surgery at the University of Illinois Medical Center at Chicago, who has performed the first robotic lung resection for cancer in 2002. Professor Giulianotti has since performed more than 30 robotic lung resections while in Italy.

 

 

"Robotic technology allows us to maneuver in the rigid anatomy of the chest to remove cancerous lesions and lymph nodes in difficult-to-reach areas. This less traumatic procedure significantly reduces blood loss, pain, scarring and recovery time."

  

Robotic lung resection is performed using surgical instruments that are introduced through special ports and attached to the robotic arms of the surgical system. A surgeon, seated at a console several feet away from the patient, precisely controls the wrist-like instrumentation inside the patient while viewing fine structures of the anatomy in 3D.

  

"A number of patients are eligible for this procedure even if the cancer is not caught at an early stage," said Dr. Malek G. Massad, UIC Professor and Chief of the division of cardiothoracic surgery.

 

More Americans die each year from lung cancer than from any other cancer, according to the American Cancer Society.  In Illinois, an estimated 6,690 people will die of lung cancer in 2007.

  

Catherine Oliver, 62, of Chicago had the right upper lobe of her lung   removed by robotic surgery at UIC on Sept. 19th. She was discharged from the hospital a few days later with little pain or physical limitations and is recovering nicely at home.

  

"In our clinical experience, the benefits to the patient are substantial," said Dr. Giulianotti, "including reduced trauma and improved immunological function after surgery."

  

This was Oliver's second robotic surgery in less than a month. Surgeons at UIC also removed an adrenal gland tumor, unrelated to her lung cancer, a few weeks prior to her robotic lung surgery.

  

The surgical team involved in Oliver's care included Giulianotti, Dr. Fabio Sbrana, Professor Norman J. Snow, and Dr. Edgar G. Chedrawy.

  

 The robotic lung team can be reached through UIC’s toll free hot line 1-888-IL-HEART. For more information about the University of Illinois Medical Center at Chicago, visit www.uillinoismedcenter.org.