For over 15 years, Brenda lived with a harmless lung nodule, until a chest X-ray showed a change suspicious for lung cancer. Though Brenda never smoked, she had a strong family history of the disease, having lost both her father and brother to lung cancer. She knew it was time to act.
She was referred to Julian Guitron, MD, a cardiothoracic surgeon with The Christ Hospital Health Network. Dr. Guitron was the first surgeon in Cincinnati to perform single-port robotic thoracic surgery. The Christ Hospital is still the only hospital in the region to offer this advanced approach.
The single port system allows the surgeon to reach the chest for lung and mediastinal procedures without going in between the ribs, which means less postoperative pain and quicker recovery times due to the minimal incisions and avoiding the intercostal spaces.
Brenda’s single port surgery was a success and now she is beating the odds thanks to her action and her expert care team.
Her story is also a powerful reminder of the importance of vigilance and proactivity. By staying on top of her health and acting quickly when something changed, she gave herself the best possible chance—catching her cancer early and making all the difference in her outcome.
Hear all about Brenda’s experience and the care provided by Dr. Guitron and his team in their own words.
Brenda’s Story
Brenda: I was diagnosed with this nodule back in 2010. Well, in August of last year I went to my family doctor, and she sent me for a chest X-ray which showed something different with it. She says I want you to see a surgeon. All along I'm thinking in my mind, “has this gone into cancer or something?”
Dr. Guitron: Well, lung spots are always a concern. Is it cancer? Is it not? And in Brenda's case, she had very low risks for lung cancer, yet the testing and all the work that we did for her pointed towards cancer. That suspicion prompted us to recommend to proceed with the SP or the single port surgery.
Brenda: My dad and my brother both died of lung cancer. I have never been a smoker. What's the odds here all of a sudden? So it's like it was meant to come out.
Dr. Guitron: It is almost like an accessory to the robot system that we've been using for a good number of years. But now this allows us to put all the instruments through one single port rather than using the multi-port approach. And that allows us to avoid that rib cage going from below and avoiding that pain that follows any kind of thoracic surgery we do.
Brenda: Everybody is just so amazed at how well I've done. I'm amazed at how well I've done. The highest pain level I had during all this was about a five.
Dr. Guitron: The technical challenges of any kind of operation pays off when we see our patients walking in looking so good and reporting to us that they are back to their activities. And in her case at church, singing in the choir is, is amazing to hear.
Brenda: Oh, I could not ask for better doctors and nurses. I mean, everybody was just, you know, just wonderful. I know, a friend of mine at church said, “I know if I ever have to have surgery, I know who to go to.”