May 16, 2024 - Shasta Regional Medical Center celebrates milestone for minimally invasive lung cancer surgery. Dr. Rafael Lupercio performed his 100th Ion Robotic surgery.

The advanced lung care team at Shasta Regional successfully completed their 100th minimally invasive robot-assisted case last Friday, May 3, after starting the procedures in August. The procedure detects and diagnoses lung cancer earlier, helping save more lives.

Shasta Regional Medical Center's Casey Fatch says patients always go home the same day following the procedure. Fatch says this computer-guided new way of scanning for lung cancer enters the lungs from the bronchia and guides the Pulmonologist to the areas of interest and can scan the lungs from the inside apposed to having to take tissue samples from the outside.

Fatch says they are the only hospital in the NorthState that has the low dose CT program for lung cancer screening, which means patients can get screen for lung cancer with a lot less radiations.

“Regardless of where the scanner is ours gives you much less radiation,” Fatch says.

Shasta county has some of the highest rates of lung cancer in the state, according to Fatch. Lung cancer can be treated much easier when it is caught in the earlier stages 1 and 2, apposed to staged 3 and 4.

Fatch says there is much less risk with this procedure and at this point they have no complications with it.

To be safe, Fatch says if your over the age of 50 and smoke you should get scanned for lung cancer every year.

“We’re not seeing a lot of people coming in for screening unfortunately,” Fatch says. “We’re trying to get the word out there because you’re much better off if it’s caught earlier, no question.”

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