Pulmonary nodules smaller than two centimetres can be cured if detected early

• Thanks to the minimally invasive approach assisted by Da Vinci robotic surgery, lung cancer procedures can now be performed in a nearly outpatient manner.
• Smokers over the age of fifty are advised to have a lung CT scan every two years.
• Immunotherapy has significantly improved survival rates in lung cancer patients, even in cases of advanced disease.

As part of European Lung Cancer Week, Dr Joseba Rebollo, an oncology specialist at Quirónsalud Hospital in Torrevieja and Quirónsalud Alicante, reminds us that lung nodules smaller than two centimetres are often curable with surgery if detected early. Therefore, he recommends that smokers over the age of fifty undergo a lung CT scan every two years in order to detect these mostly asymptomatic pulmonary nodules at an early stage.

Types of lung cancer and their treatment

Lung cancer is classified into two main types: small cell and non-small cell. Small cell lung cancer, which accounts for 30% of cases, is highly related to smoking and tends to spread quickly. “It can be treated with chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and radiotherapy, achieving cure rates of around 20% in cases of limited disease, which is when the disease can be contained within a radiotherapy field,” states Dr Manuel Sureda, an oncologist at Quirónsalud Hospital in Torrevieja and an expert in oncological immunology.

On the other hand, non-small cell lung cancer is the most common type, and its treatments greatly benefit from genetic tumour studies. “Approximately 50% of these tumours have specific genetic alterations that allow the use of targeted therapies for that specific alteration. Moreover, immunotherapy, which has revolutionised the treatment of this type of lung cancer, has significantly improved survival rates in patients eligible for it, even in cases of advanced disease,” Dr Sureda adds.

Early lung cancer recovery thanks to Da Vinci

Thanks to the minimally invasive approach assisted by Da Vinci robotic surgery, interventions that once required open surgery and long hospital stays for lung cancer patients can now be performed in a nearly outpatient manner, with shorter hospital stays in any case.

“In addition,” notes Dr José Belda, head of the Thoracic Surgery Department at Quirónsalud Torrevieja and specialist in robotic surgery, “the great precision of Da Vinci surgeries allows us to address both benign and malignant lung conditions, including lobectomies and sublobar resections, all without compromising oncological thoroughness.” Other advantages noted by the specialist at Quirónsalud Torrevieja include less blood loss and a reduced risk of postoperative infections.

For more information about robotic lung cancer surgery, watch this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZ0EPpsaUE0&t=1s