By: Julie Henry Health & Fitness ReporterYOUNGSVILLE, N.C. - It started with a spot on her lung. Erin Sampson's doctor found it during a routine chest x-ray. As a lifelong smoker, the former nurse knew it was cancer.
"It's a terrible thing to be told that you've got lung cancer," she said.
But the odds were in her favor. Sampson was one of only 15 percent of patients whose cancer is localized to one area of the lung, making her a candidate for surgery.
That could have meant a large incision on her back and maybe even removal of ribs to get to the lung. But Duke thoracic surgeon Dr. Tommy D'Amico chose a minimally invasive technique called thoracoscopic lobectomy. A national leader in the procedure, he used camera operated equipment to remove the large lobe of her lung through an incision just two inches long.
But the odds were in her favor. Sampson was one of only 15 percent of patients whose cancer is localized to one area of the lung, making her a candidate for surgery.
That could have meant a large incision on her back and maybe even removal of ribs to get to the lung. But Duke thoracic surgeon Dr. Tommy D'Amico chose a minimally invasive technique called thoracoscopic lobectomy. A national leader in the procedure, he used camera operated equipment to remove the large lobe of her lung through an incision just two inches long.
"Patients go home after the minimally invasive approach and they can return to normal activity faster," he said. "If they work, they can go back to their jobs. Because they're not taking pain medicine, they can drive again. They get back to their life much sooner."
When Sampson reported for pulmonary rehab less than two weeks after her surgery, therapists and other lung cancer patients were shocked.
When Sampson reported for pulmonary rehab less than two weeks after her surgery, therapists and other lung cancer patients were shocked.
Read more and view the video at: http://www.nbc17.com/midatlantic/ncn/news.apx.-content-articles-NCN-2008-07-12-0008.html
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