Are robots the future of precision lung surgery?

No matter how great a surgeon is, robotic assistance can bring a higher level of precision to the operating table. The ability to remotely operate a robot that can hold precision instruments greatly increases the accuracy of surgical procedures like thoracoscopic surgery, which is used to treat lung cancer. Of the two most common types of lung cancer, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a good candidate for surgery because the tumors spread slowly and are more localized. Since more than 80 percent of people with lung cancer have NSCLC, surgery is a common treatment. Lung cancer usually starts when epithelial cells that line the inside of the lungs rapidly reproduce into cancerous cells, creating tumors inside the lungs.