A CT scan at Tam Anh General Hospital TP HCM revealed a tumor deep in the patient's lung root, wedged between the aorta and esophagus, and two pulmonary veins, invading major blood vessels.

Associate Professor, Doctor Vu Huu Vinh, Director of the Thoracic - Vascular Surgery Center, assessed the tumor as being in a challenging, difficult-to-access location. Conventional endoscopy or thoracoscopic surgery would have made biopsy sampling difficult. However, the Da Vinci Xi robot, with its flexible arms capable of 540-degree rotation, allowed access to the lesion. This enabled doctors to perform both a frozen section biopsy and remove the entire tumor in one surgery.

A frozen section biopsy is a rapid sample testing technique (approximately 40 minutes) performed at temperatures ranging from -20 to -50 degrees Celsius while the patient is on the operating table. This procedure accurately determines if a tumor is benign or malignant.

After the robot collected the sample, the frozen section biopsy results confirmed it was a malignant tumor: small cell lung cancer, formed from neuroendocrine cells. "This is the first time in 30 years of practice that I have operated on a small cell lung cancer case," said Associate Professor Vinh, adding that this type of cancer is difficult to detect but its cells multiply rapidly, leading to a high potential for metastasis to other organs.

Associate Professor Vinh controls the Da Vinci Xi robot with the surgical team to remove Mr. Cong's lung tumor. Photo: Tam Anh General Hospital

After determining the tumor's nature, Associate Professor Vinh continued to control the Da Vinci Xi robot, removing the tumor from the lung root. The tumor was completely dissected without damaging major blood vessels or adjacent organs. This surgery took one and a half times longer than typical lobectomy cases due to the tumor's difficult location, which required meticulous dissection.

Thanks to the minimally invasive robotic intervention, Mr. Cong recovered quickly. He was healthy enough to continue post-operative adjuvant treatment, including chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

Associate Professor Vinh added that Mr. Cong was fortunate to have his disease detected at an early stage, allowing for radical surgery and a high 5-year survival prognosis.

Associate Professor Vinh visits Mr. Cong after a successful surgery. Photo: Tam Anh General Hospital

According to Globocan 2022, Vietnam records over 24,400 new cases and nearly 22,600 deaths from lung cancer each year. Small cell lung cancer accounts for 10-15% of these cases. This type of cancer often has no clear symptoms in its early stage and is dangerous due to its short tumor doubling time and high recurrence rate.

To prevent lung cancer, Associate Professor Vinh recommends that people avoid tobacco, which is the leading risk factor. They should also protect their respiratory tract when exposed to polluted environments and chemicals, and undergo regular health check-ups to detect any lung abnormalities and intervene promptly.

Bao Anh

*Patient's name has been changed