The Princess Margaret “Transformers”

15 THE TRANSFORMERS • TECHNOLOGY ISSUE ULTRA-MINIMALLY INVASIVE SURGERY Dr. Kazuhiro Yasufuku works as a Thoracic Surgeon. His focus is on developing surgical techniques that allow him and his team to improve patients’ lives. Years ago, he was an early adopter of using thoracoscopic instruments for video-assisted thoracic surgery. This was part of a paradigm shift toward minimally-invasive surgery made possible by technology. More advancements have followed, including robotic surgery, which Dr. Yasufuku says helps patients recover much faster. “Some of my patients will go home the next day after a major lung surgery,” he says. “This was not possible 20 years ago.” Today, Dr. Yasufuku is working to develop new treatments using nanoparticles, which could be a game-changer for lung cancer patients. Some of these high-tech treatments use nanoparticles to deliver medication directly to tumours. In other cases, nanoparticles are used to highlight the location of a tumour so doctors can target it. This research has been advancing rapidly over the past half-decade, and Dr. Yasufuku believes it may pave the way for major changes in surgery. “In the future, we might be able to treat these cancers without making any incisions,” he says. “That’s what I call ultra-minimally invasive surgery.” NANOTECHNOLOGY AT THE PRINCESS MARGARET Dr. Kazuhiro Yasufuku Surgical Oncologist and Scientist Affiliated Faculty, Techna Institute Surgery performed through a small incision using modern surgical technology. It’s often referred to as minimally-invasive surgery. THORACOSCOPIC