Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Susan's Survivor Story

What happened, in summary

Susan Taylor was 71 when complications from a double knee replacement unexpectedly led to an early lung cancer diagnosis. After the knee surgery, she developed blood clots in both legs and lungs. A later chest X-ray found a mass in her left lung, which Susan later described as a blessing in disguise because it caught the cancer early. A PET scan confirmed a 3 cm cancerous tumor in the left upper lobe. Susan and her partner still traveled to Alaska, where they spent summers running a nonprofit that mentors wounded soldiers, but she began researching treatment options immediately. She wanted robotic surgery and was referred to Dr. Philip Bongiorno at Cleveland Clinic Florida. After a video visit from Alaska and preoperative testing back in Florida, Susan had surgery on September 24. Dr. Bongiorno used the da Vinci Xi robotic surgical system to remove her left upper lobe and nearby lymph nodes. The minimally invasive approach used 4 small incisions instead of a large open incision and rib spreading. Susan spent 3 nights in the hospital, had about a week of soreness, and returned to tennis within 3 weeks. As of July 2021, she had localized non-small cell lung cancer treated surgically, with no chemotherapy or radiation reported.