"There was a time when open surgical removal was the universal approach to treat a kidney tumor," said Dr. Thall. "That changed with the birth and ongoing development of minimally invasive surgical instruments and imaging technologies."In layman's terms, laparoscopic cryosurgery is "image-guided freezing" of the kidney tumor. The surgical tools they use to perform the operation are a laparoscope to visualize and perform the surgery on a video monitor, intra-operative ultrasound to direct the therapy to the exact location and extent of the tumor, and the cryoprobe that delivers the thermotherapy to the tumor. The laparoscope as well as the surgical instruments and ultrasound probe are inserted through minute inch incisions in the patient allowing the doctors a three dimensional, unobstructed view of the surgical field on a high-definition video monitor.Kidney cancer, according to the hospital, is the cause of nearly 10,000 deaths in the U.S. each year and approximately 30,000 new cases of kidney cancer will be diagnosed. Nephrectomy, or kidney removal, is performed on patients facing any number of diseases, ranging from cancer of the kidney to a disease in which cysts (sac-like structures) displace healthy kidney tissue to serious kidney infections. The procedure is also used to remove a healthy kidney from a donor for the purposes of kidney transplantation. A five-year study of the success rate of cryotherapy to treat U.S. patients diagnosed with kidney tumors showed that in 92 percent of the cases, the tumors were destroyed by the technique with no significant side effects to the patients. For more information about laparoscopic cryosurgery, please call Dr. Thall (516) 766-2929 or Dr. Lefkowitz (516) 867-0102.
Cancer support group meeting
Franklin Hospitals Cancer Support Group will meet on Monday, July 11 at 2 p.m. in the hospital's Greenberg Conference Room.The group normally meets on the first Monday of every month. However, due to the July 4 holiday, the meeting has been changed to the second Monday. Regular schedule will resume in August.The Cancer Support Group wis open to all cancer survivors, including family members and is ideal for people who need someone to talk to about the illness, the hospital said. Discussion topics include new medicines and treatments and the sessions offer advice on how to cope with Cancer. Additional information about the monthly meetings is available by contacting Meg wehrum at (516)256-6509.
Skin cancer screening at Mercy
Mercy Medical Center will be conducting a free skin cancer screening for local residents. The screenings will be done by Mercy physicians on Wednesday, July 13 from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in the St. Anne's Center on the Mercy campus. Skin cancer is the most common of all cancers and accounts for nearly half of all cancers in the United States. Most cases are highly curable. However, the most serious form, melanoma, can be deadly. This year, according to the hospital, more than 59,000 people are expected to be diagnosed with melanoma, and more than 7,000 will die. Individuals with light skin, a personal or family history of melanoma, moles and freckles, or a history of severe sunburn early in life are at the highest risk. The free skin cancer screening is by appointment only. Appointments can be scheduled by calling (516) 705-1391 Monday through Friday between 9:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.
New facilities at North Shore-LIJ
The North Shore-Long Island Jewish (LIJ) Health System celebrated the opening of a 23,000-square-foot ambulatory surgery center in Lake Success. The $13 million project represents the first opening within North Shore-LIJ's new Center for Advanced Medicine, for which the health system recently signed a 25-year lease with an option to buy 454,000 square feet of space, one of the largest real estate deals in Long Island history.The new ambulatory center provides patients, according to a hospital spokesperson, with outpatient surgical expertise in otolaryngology, gynecology, urology, orthopedics and general surgery. The center features comprehensive services, including pre-surgical testing, support and recovery rooms, and four state-of-the art operating rooms (ORs) housed in a modern and comfortable building with easy parking for patients. Eventually, the number of ORs will be expanded to six or eight.
