Medical Treatment

Medical treatment is a term for systemic treatments that travel through the bloodstream (either by IV administration or by pills that are absorbed in the gut). This type of treatment can reach cancer cells anywhere in the body. A lung cancer treatment plan can include systemic treatments such as chemotherapy, targeted therapies, or immunotherapies administered by a specialized lung cancer medical oncologist. 

Medical treatments for lung cancer include:

Chemotherapy: Powerful medications that kill rapidly dividing cells, such as cancer cells, and can be used before or after surgery
Targeted therapies: Medications that target specific mutations in cancer cells that are not found in normal cells
Immunotherapy: Drugs that boost the immune system, enabling a patient’s own white blood cells to recognize cancer cells and destroy them 
Surgery for Lung Cancer

Often, early-stage lung cancer can be treated with surgery alone or in combination with medical treatment or radiation therapy. We can perform advanced, minimally invasive surgery – such as robotic lobectomy – that can successfully treat lung cancer. 

Types of lung cancer surgery include:

Segmentectomy or wedge resection: Removal of part of a section (lobe)
Lobectomy: Removal of an entire lobe of a lung
Pneumonectomy: Removal of the entire lung 
The type of surgery we recommend depends on the size and location of the tumor, as well as the patient’s overall health. 

Robotic Lobectomy for Lung Cancer

Lobectomy, or the surgical removal of a cancerous lobe in the lung, is the standard treatment of early-stage, non-small cell lung cancer. Robotic surgery is performed with the surgeon sitting at a console, manipulating small instruments in the patient’s body. Because the instruments are so small, robotic lobectomy is performed through a few tiny incisions between the ribs, which means that patients can avoid a large incision in the chest.  

Benefits of robotic surgery include:

Less pain
Faster recovery
Reduced chance of infection
Quicker return to normal activity
Less scarring