Robots in the OR: How Robotic Surgery is Transforming Lung Cancer Care

Host: Mindy McCulley, MS, Extension Specialist for Instructional Support, Family and Consumer Sciences Extension, University of Kentucky 

Guest: Dr. Mansi Shah-Jadeja, MD, Assistant Professor, Thoracic Surgery, Markey Cancer Center

Cancer Conversations Episode 73

Welcome to Cancer Conversations on Talking FACS. In this episode host Mindy McCulley speaks with Dr. Mansi Shah, Assistant Professor in the Department of Thoracic Surgery, about using robotic surgery to treat lung cancer.

They explore what robotic surgery is, how it differs from traditional thoracotomy and video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS), and the main robotic platforms — including navigational bronchoscopy, multiport robots, and the new single-port robot. Dr. Shah discusses benefits such as 3D visualization, wristed instruments for greater precision, reduced pain, shorter hospital stays, training requirements for surgeons, patient candidacy, and limitations for large or centrally invasive tumors.

The episode closes with a look at the future of robotic thoracic surgery, the growing adoption of minimally invasive techniques, and how advancing technology aims to speed recovery and improve outcomes for lung cancer patients.

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