Pictured: Dr.'s Devin C. Flaherty and Patrick L. Wagner.
Surgery is a cornerstone of treatment for many types and stages of cancer.
Surgery may be a stand-alone therapy, or combined with chemotherapy and/or
radiation. At Valley Health’s state-of-the-art Cancer Center, the
options for advanced, personalized care include minimally invasive surgery
-- including robotic, laparoscopic and endoscopic procedures.
What are the benefits? Who’s a good candidate? Here, Valley Health
surgical oncologists
Patrick L. Wagner, MD, FACS, and
Devin C. Flaherty, DO, PhD, FACOS, FACS, discuss this exciting option.
What is minimally invasive surgery?
Dr. Flaherty:
Minimally invasive surgery allows us to accomplish the same goals as conventional,
open surgery, but with a much smaller incision or group of incisions.
At Valley Health, we offer:
1. Robotic surgery using the latest generation surgical robot, the da Vinci® Xi™ Surgical System, where the surgeon at a console in the operating room makes all surgical
decisions and controls the surgical tools with great precision while watching
the area of the surgery at a stereoscopic high-definition monitor that
provides a magnified, three-dimensional view.
2. Laparoscopic surgery, when the surgeon at the operating table inserts long, thin tubes and
a specialized camera called a laparoscope through the incision and then
performs the procedure using specialized instruments inserted through
the tubes.
3. Endoscopy, in which the physician uses a camera with lights and specialized, miniaturized
instruments to examine and perform procedures inside an organ such as
the colon or esophagus.
What are the benefits?
Dr. Wagner:
Smaller incisions mean less blood loss, less pain, fewer complications,
a shorter hospital stay and a quicker recovery. You may need less pain
medication and have a lower risk for infection. People get back to work
and to their daily activities faster. Patients who need radiation or chemotherapy
may be able to start those treatments sooner because they heal faster.
Which types of cancer can be treated with minimally invasive procedures
at Valley Health?
Dr. Flaherty: When appropriate, minimally invasive surgery can be used for cancers of
the colon and rectum, esophagus, small intestine (bowel), stomach (gastric
cancer), pancreas, lung, urinary tract and liver as well as gynecological cancers.
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Who is a good candidate?
Dr. Flaherty: Anyone who is medically fit for open surgery can have minimally invasive
surgery. However, in some cases open surgery is the best option. We see
every person we treat as an individual. We make treatment decisions with
them and with the
Cancer Center’s multidisciplinary team of oncologists, radiologists and other specialists
based on their unique situation.
How do the minimally invasive surgical options for cancer at Valley Health
compare to other medical centers in the Mid-Atlantic region?
Dr. Wagner: Our operating-room facilities and equipment at
Winchester Medical Center as well as our knowledge and experience of advanced surgical techniques
and of the surgical management of cancer are on the leading edge. There
are rare cancers and treatments for which some patients may need to travel
to another facility. But most patients can receive the same level of care
for most cancers that they would if they drove hours away to a university
medical center – without the stress, the inconvenience and the financial
and travel barriers that can make options like minimally-invasive procedures
seem out of reach.
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To learn more about Valley Health's Minimally Invasive Surgical options,
and to request a physician referral, visit
www.valleyhealthlink.com/MIS.