... to help visualize and operate upon the lung inside the chest cavity. The incisions made are much smaller than the ones used in thoracotamy. Some physicians, however, caution against this procedure reasoning that VAT does not allow for a complete lung examination to identify and remove metastases that are not detected by preoperative chest X-ray. (http://www.oncologychannel.com/lungcancer/treatment. ... shtml) Unfortunately, these surgical procedures may cause lymphocytopenia, a low number of white blood cells in the blood, which is linked to short life spans in patients with a more advanc...

• Word Count: 1232
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School