Southlake embraces minimally invasive thoracic procedure

As one of only a few hospitals in the country to offer minimally invasive thoracic surgery, Southlake Regional Health Centre in Newmarket recently expanded its regional thoracic program by recruiting Dr. Alexander Lee, a thoracic surgeon who specializes in performing these advanced procedures.

With more than 80 per cent of his operations done via "keyhole" surgery, Lee, along with Dr. Julius Toth, head of the division of thoracic surgery at Southlake, perform more thoracic surgeries for lung and esophagus cancer than all other hospitals in the Central Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) combined.

"We are always looking for new and innovative ways to develop tertiary or advanced services for the people of York Region and surrounding communities," commented Daniel Carriere, Southlake's president and CEO. "All of us at Southlake are very excited to have Dr. Lee join our team and his specialization in minimally invasive procedures will greatly benefit the communities we serve."

"There are many great organizations doing their best to help people in their fight against cancer, and I am proud to have the opportunity to help Southlake prepare for and build a cancer program that will address the overwhelming need for advanced cancer care in York Region and beyond," Lee remarked. "I am very excited to be joining Dr. Toth, and the rest of his team. I strongly believe in the hospital's vision, mission and values and I look forward to being a part of the York Region community."

As Lee's first Southlake patient to benefit from this type of procedure, an 85 year old Barrie resident underwent a video assisted thorascopic right upper lobectomy (the removal of a portion of her lung that was affected with cancer). Without this surgery or other intervention the cancer would have progressed and, had she undergone open chest thoracic surgery, would have been at a higher risk of complications following her operation.

Minimally invasive surgery eliminates the need to spread the ribs during chest surgery and requires only a small incision, referred to as a "keyhole" surgery. A miniature video camera is inserted into a small incision, allowing the surgeon to clearly see the area being operated on, and as a result, can be more accurate and provide faster, less painful recovery than traditional surgery.

According to Lee, as many as 80 per cent of patients requiring thoracic surgery would be candidates for the minimally invasive procedure.

"A lot of factors must be considered when selecting patients for key-hole surgery," he explained. "For instance the size and nature of the lesion are important when considering minimally invasive approaches."

By 2008, Southlake plans to open its cancer centre, where more than one million people who live in York Region will, for the first time, have access to radiation therapy as part of their comprehensive cancer treatment.