Saint John’s Health Center is committed to fighting lung cancer (the leading cause of cancer death in women) by providing the latest minimally invasive surgical techniques at Saint John’s Thoracic Surgery Program. With a multidisciplinary team focused solely on non-cardiac thoracic surgery, Saint John’s puts an emphasis on cutting-edge, minimally invasive surgical approaches. From the moment of diagnosis until the completion of treatment, patients are seen by a team of specialists with critical expertise in making the correct diagnosis, identifying possible targets for treatment, supplying cutting-edge therapies and providing the most advanced radiation delivery systems and techniques. 

In recent years, the field of thoracic surgery has evolved away from cardiothoracic surgery to become a separate subspecialty. Saint John’s provides patients with specialized physicians who offer individualized care for their thoracic surgery needs. Saint John’s thoracic surgeons specialize in minimally invasive surgery, which has smaller incisions, less pain, quicker recovery time and shorter hospital stay.

Standard thoracic surgery often involves a thoracotomy, a major surgical procedure in which a long incision is made on one side of the patient’s chest and the ribs are spread apart to gain access to the chest cavity. Because of the trauma to the patient, thoracotomies are considered to be one of the most difficult and painful surgeries to recover from. 

As an alternative to a traumatic thoracotomy, Saint John’s Thoracic Surgery team uses video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery, also known as VATS, to provide patients with the best possible care. With video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery, surgeons don’t need to break the ribs or open the chest cavity. This minimally invasive surgical approach is substantially less traumatic to the patient than a standard thoracotomy, and the patient’s pain and recovery period are correspondingly reduced.

Additional surgeries include minimally invasive lobectomy, a procedure to remove the lobe of the lung containing a tumor. With these minimally invasive procedures, Saint John’s Thoracic Surgery Program is able to treat not just lung cancer but also benign and malignant obstructions of the airway or esophagus, esophageal cancer, motility disorders of the esophagus, infections of the lungs and pleural space, and tumors of the chest wall.

Saint John’s Thoracic Surgery Team includes:

Clark B. Fuller, MD (Thoracic Surgeon & Director)

Ali Mahtabifard, MD (Thoracic Surgeon)

Lisa Chaiken, MD (Radiation Oncologist)

Sean Fischer, MD (Medical Oncologist)

David Hoon, PhD (Translational Scientist)