In a US News & World Report article, STS member Joe Shrager, MD, professor and chief of the division of surgery at Stanford University School of Medicine, helps explain the surgical treatment options for lung cancer patients, including the less-invasive VATS lobectomy.

The key advantage to VATS is that surgeons work beneath the ribs without spreading them, Dr. Shrager said. Less muscle is divided during surgery, and patients have much less pain afterward. Hospital stays are shorter, and patients come off pain medicine, recover and return to full activity sooner. However, according to Dr. Shrager, not every patient is a good candidate for VATS lobectomy.

Visit US News & World Report to find out more.