Down to Earth Routine lung cancer screening detects woman’s lung cancer early Emily Rankin of Stuarts Draft, Virginia, thought she was out of the woods. While she began smoking in her late 20s, she quit in her early 60s. Still, at the advice of her family doctor, Rankin, 71, decided to be screened for lung cancer in May 2017. “There was really nothing to it,” the retiree and avid gardener recalls of the Low-Dose CT Scan. “It took maybe two or three minutes, five at the most. It’s quick and simple. But it did the job.” That simple screening turned out to be a life-changing experience. To Rankin’s surprise, the routine screening found an 8-millimeter mass in her left lung. After a few more CT scans, Rankin’s doctor, Jason Lawrence, MD, a pulmonologist at Augusta Health, sent her to Miguel Aguinaga, MD, FACS, a thoracic surgeon at Augusta Health. In order to have her cancer removed, Dr. Aguinaga performed a lobectomy with robotic assistance, which is a minimally invasive procedure, and therefore has a quicker, easier recovery time than other surgical interventions for lung cancer. The traditional procedure, a thoracotomy, consists of a large incision, and patients typically stay in the hospital for 10 days. Many people also have immense pain following this procedure, Dr. Aguinaga says. The new, minimally invasive surgery is quicker, and patients can be discharged within one to three days, Dr. Aguinaga says. Rankin’s surgery consisted of just six small holes on her side and back. Dr. Aguinaga notes that one benefit of the robotic surgery is that it allows for more precision. “You have a camera inside of the patient, so you’re viewing what’s happening,” he says. “And with your hands, you reproduce the movements you want the robot to do. The reason we use a robot is that you can really get into tight spaces. The vision is incredible.” Rare cancer revealed Rankin had surgery on January 16, 2018. Dr. Aguinaga removed the upper lobe of her left lung. The 8-millimeter mass turned out to be a carcinoid tumor, which is a very rare, slowgrowing cancer. continued on page 11 10 AUGUSTA HEALTH • CANCER PROGRAM ANNUAL REPORT
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