The latest technology works best in caring hands"

The state-of-the-art technology used at St. Joseph Hospital is just one more example of the hospital's dedication to clinical excellence. The St. Joseph Hospital Lung Program strives to provide the most compassionate care utilizing the most current technology.

Video-Assisted Thoracic Surgery (VATS)
The St. Joseph Hospital The Center for Cancer Prevention and Treatment is proud to have two dedicated thoracic surgeons who are specialists in VATS, a procedure that allows the surgeon to operate using a very small video camera to visualize the lungs. Only small incisions are needed rather than the large 6- to 8-inch incision required for a traditional thoracotomy. VATS allows patients a much quicker recovery time and less discomfort following surgery.





Robotic Surgery for Lung Disease
St. Joseph Hospital The Center for Cancer Prevention and Treatment surgeons have available to them one of the most advanced technologies available - the da Vinci Surgical System. Robotic surgical technology allows for smaller incisions and shorter hospital stays.

The da Vinci Surgical System is the only FDA-cleared system available in the United States today that is fully operative for minimally invasive robotic surgery in multiple medical disciplines. This impressive surgical system is also the only commercially available technology designed to provide the surgeon with instinctive control, fine tissue manipulation capability, full range of motion and 3-D visualization characteristics of open surgery, while simultaneously allowing them to work through small incisions during surgical procedures. 

Radiation Therapy
The St. Joseph Hospital The Center for Cancer Prevention and Treatment is one of the first programs in Orange County to offer a fully integrated Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) system to cancer patients. In addition, conformal 3-dimensional radiation therapy is also offered.

Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA)
In some cases, lung tumors can not be removed with traditional surgery. At St. Joseph Hospital, we have successfully used RFA - a method by which electrodes are used to heat and destroy abnormal tissue. It is a promising new technique to safely and effectively treat patients who have inoperable lung tumors.