YORK COUNTY, Pa. — Will robots in the operating room be the next step in cancer treatment?
Thoracic Surgeon with WellSpan Health Doctor Scott Tiedebohl thinks so.
Robotic technology was introduced in 2008 and has been used to complete more than 10,000 surgeries.
“Things have become more computer-oriented, more minimally invasive, and the help of robotics has allowed us to perform larger and complex surgeries with smaller incisions, which makes the recovery for the patient much easier,” Tiedebohl said.
That makes recovery easier for patients like Elizabeth Gangloff, a York County teacher and mother of two.
“I was diagnosed with lung cancer through Dr. Tiedebohl, so I got to know him through that process,” Gangloff said.
She was diagnosed with the disease in March of 2023, despite not having a history of smoking or other cancer-causing behaviors.
“The way that we treat people with cancer is not determined by how they got the cancer,” Tiedebohl said.
A routine scan for an unrelated illness detected the disease in its earliest stage, something Gangloff says helped save her life.
“They thought I would possibly have a kidney stone," Gangloff said. "In fact, the radiologist saw something on the scan that looked a little suspicious, and we took it from there."
She underwent minimally invasive surgery using robotic technology.
Dr. Tiedebohl remotely controlled tools to remove a long nodule.
The operation was a success, and Gangloff recovered within days.
“I was literally running the cul-de-sacs," Gangloff said. "Not running the streets, but I would walk then run the cul-de-sacs in my neighborhood within a week."
She recommends people schedule annual screenings, especially those older and at higher risk.
“Continue to have screenings, continue to do better with your body, eat healthy and exercise and take care of yourself, not just with cancer but with every part of your body.”
Dr. Tiedebohl agrees and encourages people to use resources like Saved by The Scan.
“In 2024, the numbers were about 234,000 new cases of lung cancer in America and about 125,000 deaths from lung cancer,” Tiedebohl said.
For information on scheduling a screening, click here.