Lung and Thoracic Cancer

UMass Memorial Health is a leader in lung and thoracic cancers. We use the latest methods to catch the earliest signs of cancer (lung nodules), so you receive timely treatment. Our team helped pioneer sophisticated methods that lead to efficient therapies that are gentler on your body. Our commitment to lung cancer care excellence has earned our program top honors from organizations such as U.S. News & World Report. 

Lung and Thoracic Cancers We Treat

From the rarest to the most complex, our experts manage and treat many lung cancer types, including:

• Non-small cell lung carcinoma
• Small cell cancer
• Cancers in other body areas that spread (metastasize) to the lungs
• Carcinoid tumors

Our experts also treat cancers that form in tissue near the lungs. Areas of expertise include:

• Cancers in other body areas that spread (metastasize) to the chest
• Chest wall tumors
• Esophageal cancer
• Mediastinal tumors
• Mesothelioma
• Thymus cancer (thymoma)

ROADAT Diagnoses and Treats Early-Stage Lung Cancer in Just a Few Hours

Robotic one anesthetic diagnosis and treatment (ROADAT) is a set of procedures that assess, diagnose and remove early-stage lung cancer in one session. It enables us to treat cancer in a few hours instead of separate procedures weeks apart. UMass Memorial was the first program in New England and among a small number in the nation offering this technique.

You remain asleep and under anesthesia during the entire ROADAT procedure. It involves: 

• Bronchoscopy: Pulmonologists slide a long, thin tube down your throat. Robotic technology helps us access nodules deep in the lungs and take a tissue sample.
• Diagnosis: Pathologists immediately run lab studies on the sample to confirm or rule out cancer.
• Treatment: If it’s cancer, a thoracic surgeon uses robotic surgical technologies to remove the tumor. 

Leading the Way in Gentle, One-Incision Lung Surgery

UMass Memorial Medical Center is the first hospital in New England to use the new da Vinci Single Port (SP) Surgical System for lung surgery.

This special tool lets doctors perform lung surgeries — even hard ones like removing part of a lung — through one small opening instead of several cuts.

The SP system helps reduce stress on the body. With just one small cut, many patients may have:

• Less pain after surgery
• Fewer problems during recovery
• Shorter hospital stays
• A faster return to normal activities

The system uses a high quality 3D camera, so surgeons can see the inside of the chest very clearly. The doctor sits at a comfortable station and guides thin, flexible robotic instruments with great control and accuracy.

This new technology helps us care for patients with lung and chest problems in a safer, gentler way. 

Additional Lung Cancer Services We Provide

Our comprehensive approach to lung cancer care includes:

• Early detection: Our program is home to a nationally recognized lung cancer screening program. We use low-dose CT scans to safely and accurately detect lung nodules.
• Lung-sparing surgery: Advanced robotic surgical techniques remove a specific area of lung tissue instead of the entire organ.
• Radiation therapy: Using advanced methods, such as RapidArc and stereotactic radiosurgery, we deliver precise lung cancer treatments that spare more healthy tissue.
• Genetic testing: We check tumors for genetic changes (mutations) associated with lung cancer. If you test positive, you may benefit from specific types of medical oncology.
• Minimally invasive procedures: Microwave ablation and pulsed electrical field technologies destroy early-stage cancers and are for people who cannot have surgery. Cryoablation reduces the size of advanced cancers to relieve symptoms.