Tokyo Women's Medical University

School of Medicine

Thoracic Surgery

Overview

Our department offers medical treatment including mainly surgical interventions. For advanced lung cancer and mediastinal tumors, we provide multidisciplinary treatment including chemotherapy and radiation therapy. We treat a wide variety of diseases of about 300 cases, including 110 cases of primary lung cancer, 60 cases of metastatic lung tumors, 30 cases of mediastinal tumors, and 50 cases of cystic lung disease.　In addition, for almost all diseases, we perform complete thoracoscopic surgery with a monitored view. For early-stage lung cancer and metastatic lung tumors, we perform thoracoscopic lung segmentectomy and multisub-segmental resection by creating patients’ individual virtual 3-D pulmonary models from chest CT images. In 2012, we started robotic surgery using the da Vinci Surgical System™ for primary lung cancer, metastatic lung tumors, mediastinal tumors, and myasthenia gravis, and since 2018, we have been performing robotic surgeries with the national health insurance.　In addition to surgery, we also perform bronchoscopic interventions such as endotracho-bronchial laser therapy for airway stenosis, tracheal and bronchial stenting, and bronchial occlusion using silicone plug for hemoptysis. Since 2016, we had been conducted clinical research for lung air leaks (lung air leak closure using autologous cultured fibroblast cell sheets) as a regenerative medicine.

Education Details

In order to become thoracic surgeons who can contribute to society, our residents will acquire the basic knowledge and skills necessary for surgery and thoracic surgery, while developing a rich sense of humanity, broad insight, compassion for patients, and a sense of mission and responsibility for their work.
First year: The residents will receive training at the core institution, where they will experience lymph node biopsy, thoracoscopic biopsy, thoracoscopic bullectomy, and thoracoscopic lung wedge resection as an operator.
The second to fourth year: Based on the surgical specialty training program and in addition to the training at the core institutions, trainees will receive general surgical training required for the board certified surgeon at cooperating institutions and experience in thoracoscopic lobectomy, removal of mediastinal tumors by thoracoscopy and sternotomy, mediastinoscopy for biopsy/ removal of mediastinal lymph node, and bronchoscopic interventions such as laser ablation and endotracho-broncheal foreign body removal as an operator.
After the 5th year: In order to become a board certified thoracic surgeon, thoracoscopic lobectomies and segmentectomies will be experienced as an operator.
After the 8th year, the trainees will experience pneumonectomy, bronchoplasty, pulmonary artery angioplasty, and combined resection of multiple organs for malignant tumors, as an operator. Furthermore, robotic surgery will be experienced after obtaining a specialty in thoracic surgery, as an operator.

Faculty

Masato Kanzaki
Tamami Isaka
Takako Matsumoto
Kunihiro Oyama

Graduate School

After the research paper is published, the student may apply for the degree in consultation with the professor and chairperson of the department. Students admitted to the clinical graduate program have four years to complete their research and submit a research paper to receive their degree.

Related links

Research Achievements Database

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