Services > Staging

One of the best indicators of the extent of cancer are the lymph nodes. Lymph nodes are
tiny glands that help the body fight infection and tumor. The stage of cancer is determined by the size of the tumor and the number and location of enlarged lymph nodes. Accurate staging helps to develop treatment for the specific need of patient.

Surgical staging involves several procedures, such as bronchoscopy, thoracoscopy, and mediastinoscopy. These procedures are are performed during one operation and provide exact reports of the extent of your tumor and the number and location of lymph nodes that have been affected by cancer.

Bronchoscopy – is a procedure that allows the surgeon to view the patients airway passages directly. Once the patient is under anesthesia, a fiberoptic scope is inserted in the airway through the mouth. The surgeon may take a biopsy (small piece of tissue) or brushings of any suspicious cells.

Mediastinoscopy uses the thoracocscope to examine and sample the lymph nodes inside the center of the patients chest. This is done through a small incision located at the base of your neck above the breastbone. The incision is closed with sutures which will dissolve. The samples of the lymph nodes taken will be sent to the pathologist to examine all tissue for cancer cells and any other abnormality.

Thoracoscopy or Video Assisted Thoracic Surgery (VATS)
Used to sample lymph nodes and search for evidence of tumor spread