The main benefit of the technique is the rapid recovery of the patient compared with open surgery. To be precise, 12 hours after the operation the patient is already sitting up and having breakfast in the ICU if there are no complications and it is estimated that the patient will be released within 3-4 days, compared to the 8-10 days patients with open surgery are hospitalized.
“Until now, in Spain and Europe this technique has been used very rarely, mainly due to the complexity of the procedure and to the need for specific training. At present, only 10% of thoracic surgeons dominate the approach”, said Dr Moreno.
Videothoracoscopy represents an evolution of traditional surgery that uses small incisions to insert a camera and surgical instruments into the chest cavity. Thus, videothoracosopy also reduces the time in surgery and post-operative pain in the thoracic wall, improves early recovery of movement and minimizes immunological damage and the need for post-operative analgesics. Furthermore, the incidence of complications is reduced and the esthetic result is better.
The Minimally Invasive Surgery Unit in Thoracic Oncology at MD Anderson Cancer Center Madrid has carried out 80% of the thoracic cancer surgeries by videothoracoscopy in the last year.
Pneumonectomy by videothoracoscopy is a technique carried out on patients with central thoracic tumors affecting the main bronchial tree without compromising central vascular structures or vital organs the MD Anderson Cancer Center Madrid specialist explained.
In Spain, lung cancer affects about 19,000 new patients every year and is the main cause of death by cancer in both women and men.