Lung lung cancer: the word to the thoracic surgeon
Written by:How does the lung cancer work? Can you diagnose early? The Dr. Lorenzo Rosso, an expert in Thoracic Surgery in Milan
Lung tumor: diffusion
Pulmonary cancer is one of the most common tumors in the western world and is the leading cause of death for male tumor. Every year there are about 1,300,000 new cases of lung cancer, with a mortality of approximately 1,180,000 cases per year. Currently, the incidence in the male sex is decreasing, but is increasing in the female, with a 2% increase and a mortality of 1% each year.
Lung Disease: Symptoms
The lung cancer may be characterized by a very small symptomatology. Sometimes, in fact, is diagnosed by chance when the patient makes a plate for other reasons. In other cases, the symptoms may be related to a pre-existing respiratory disease, such as chronic bronchitis. Symptoms, therefore, are fatigue with fatigue, fatigue and fatigue.
Pulmonary tumor: Is there a screening?
Unfortunately, there is not yet a screening screen for lung cancer, so an examination that is large-scale among the population with risk factors is able to anticipate the disease.
As with all tumors, the timeliness with which the diagnosis is improperly impacts the treatment of lung cancer .
You more to the lungs: how do you care?
Pulmonary cancer should be performed radically, practicing removal of the disease with clean margins.
Lobectomy is the standard intervention in the treatment of lung cancer. This is done by removing part of the affected lung or, when no more resection is possible, of the whole lung. Lymphadenectomy is also performed, removal of lymph nodes, to avoid metastases.
The VATS technique
For about ten years, mininvasive surgery is also used in the treatment of lung cancer, with the VATS (Video-Assisted Torso Surgery) technique.
The VATS allows you to not divide the coasts, not to cut and not to operate with your hands in the chest. All this is possible thanks to the use of a high-definition camera: it works, in fact, looking into a monitor.
Instruments and camera are introduced through a single access (a small engraving of 3 cm), or through 1-2 secondary accesses. Depending on the number of accesses practiced, one speaks of uniportal, bicaportal or triportal toracoscopic technique.
The benefits are a faster postoperative course for the patient and a lower exposure of the tissues to the outside environment, which allows a lesser impact on the immune system.
Editor Karin Moscow