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Thoracic surgeons at Hamad Medical Corporation’s (HMC) Heart Hospital have successfully removed a cancerous tumour from the lung of a 61-year-old woman using a new laparoscopic technique.
Dr Ehab Massad, senior consultant, Cardiothoracic Surgery, led the team that performed the surgery using the new technique for the first time at HMC.
“This procedure was completed using one of the most advanced surgical techniques in the world. Historically, a lobectomy required removing a lobe of the lung through a long incision along the side of the chest and also removing surrounding lymph nodes and other abnormal tissue,” said Dr Massad.
He added, “While advances in surgical technology and techniques have provided many new options for patients, including performing the procedure by using a camera and special instruments inserted through several small incisions in the chest, this new technique allows us to remove the tumour using a single-hole laparoscopic technique.
“We are now treating many early-stage lung cancers with this new procedure. The endoscope and related instrumentation are inserted through a 30-millimetre single incision made between the thoracic cage (rib cage) where the affected area of the lung is accessed. Using this technique, tumours can be removed with a high degree of precision and minimal damage to the surrounding tissue.”
Dr Massad said traditional techniques caused immense trauma to the patient, often leading to delayed recovery from surgery and excessive pain.
He said newer techniques provide excellent visualisation of the thorax, allowing the surgery to be performed even in sick and elderly patients.
“Compared to older techniques, this minimally-invasive surgical procedure reduces post-operative scarring, pain and discomfort. It minimises the patient recovery time, with most patients being discharged from hospital two to three days following the surgery. Most patients can resume their normal daily activities within two to three weeks of the surgery. The operation generally lasts between two and three hours and we have over a 90 percent success rate,” said Dr Massad.
Thoracic surgery provides services for the surgical treatment of non-cardiac, benign and malignant diseases of the chest. Last year surgical specialists at HMC’s Heart Hospital performed more than 140 thoracic surgeries, 20 of which involved the removal of tumours.
Dr Massad said Heart Hospital is committed to providing patients with state-of-the-art surgical techniques and world-class care.
He added that lung cancer is the second most common cancer in the world and the leading cause of cancer-related deaths. Smoking cigarettes is the single biggest risk factor for lung cancer.
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29/09/2019
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