Australian first surgery for lung cancer

An Australian first surgery at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital (SCGH) has enabled a patient with suspected lung cancer to have biopsies taken, cancer confirmed and removed all in one operation, under one anaesthetic.

SCGH Executive Director Dr Jodi Graham thanked our innovative Respiratory Team for their dedication to enhance clinical care for lung cancer patients and identifying groundbreaking opportunities through evolving technology and precision medicine.

“Our team is pioneering enhanced patient outcomes and I congratulate them on their vision of diagnosing and removing cancer within one anaesthetic,” Dr Graham said.

Respiratory Medicine Consultant Dr Dhaval Thakkar led the ground-breaking surgery detecting the cancer deep in the lungs, before carrying out precision tissue sampling, and then highlighting the cancer with a glowing marker for a thoracic surgeon to easily locate.

Thoracic Surgeon Dr Miguel Mesa-Guzman followed with keyhole surgery that led to the patient waking up cancer free.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in Australia and often has no symptoms until the disease is well advanced.

Dr Thakker believes lung cancer screening is vital to support best outcomes.

“Routine screening for those at risk is such an important aspect of what we can do, we can identify abnormal growths earlier, the quicker we treat and the better the outcome,” Dr Thakker said.

The National Lung Cancer Screening Program allows eligible Australians aged 50 to 70 years to have a low-dose CT scan every two years to detect signs of lung cancer.

Our state-of-the-art bronchoscopy robot equipment, the only one in WA, was made possible thanks to funding from the Future Health Research and Innovation Fund and generous donations by the McCusker Charitable Foundation, Charlies Foundation for Research and the Institute of Respiratory Health.