Thoracic Surgery Department

The Thoracic Surgery unit is the part of the network devoted to surgery of the chest — the lungs, the airways, the chest wall, the diaphragm, the oesophagus and the space between the lungs known as the mediastinum (excluding the heart itself, which is the domain of cardiovascular surgery). It brings together thoracic surgeons, specialist anaesthetists and intensive-care teams, and the imaging and pathology services that chest surgery depends on, so that complex operations are planned and performed safely. For an international patient, the unit is the place to turn for a lung nodule or mass, a chest tumour, or a condition of the airway, chest wall or pleura that may need surgery — and the team that reviews such cases remotely, often within a multidisciplinary discussion, before any travel.

What the thoracic surgery unit does

Thoracic surgery treats diseases of the chest that require an operation, most often involving the lungs. A large part of its work is the surgical treatment of lung cancer and other chest tumours, where removing the diseased tissue — sometimes a small segment, sometimes a lobe of the lung — is a central part of treatment. The unit also operates on the chest wall, the pleura (the lining around the lungs), the mediastinum and the diaphragm, and treats conditions such as collapsed lung and infections or fluid collections in the chest.

Modern thoracic surgery has been transformed by minimally invasive techniques. Where once these operations required a large opening of the chest, many can now be performed through small incisions using a camera — video-assisted (VATS) or robot-assisted surgery — which generally means less pain, a shorter hospital stay and a faster recovery. The unit’s role is to judge, for each patient, whether a minimally invasive or an open approach is safest and most effective, and to perform it within a team equipped for both.

Conditions the thoracic surgery unit treats

The unit’s work includes:

• Lung cancer, including the surgical removal of tumours as part of a multidisciplinary cancer plan.
• Lung nodules and masses that need biopsy or removal to establish a diagnosis or treat disease.
• Mediastinal tumours and masses — growths in the space between the lungs, including those of the thymus.
• Chest-wall tumours and deformities.
• Pleural disease — fluid, infection or air around the lung, including pneumothorax (collapsed lung).
• Tracheal and airway conditions requiring surgery.
• Diaphragm and certain oesophageal conditions treated by the thoracic team or jointly with general surgery.
• Hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating) treated by a specific thoracic procedure, where appropriate.

For each, the unit’s aim is to treat the condition with the least invasive operation that will do so safely and effectively.

Diagnosis and tests

Surgical decisions in the chest rest on detailed assessment. Imaging is central: CT defines the size and position of a tumour or lesion, and PET-CT from the nuclear medicine unit helps establish whether and how far a cancer has spread. Where a tissue diagnosis is needed, the unit obtains it through biopsy — sometimes guided by imaging, sometimes via bronchoscopy (a camera passed into the airways) or a minimally invasive surgical procedure. Assessing fitness for surgery is equally important: lung-function testing and a cardiac and general assessment ensure that an operation is safe and that the lungs will cope well afterwards. For cancer, the findings are brought to a multidisciplinary tumour board, so that surgery is planned alongside any other treatment the patient needs.

Treatments and procedures

The unit performs the full range of chest operations, including:

• Minimally invasive lung surgery (VATS and robot-assisted) — removing a segment, a lobe (lobectomy) or, when necessary, a whole lung through small incisions.
• Open thoracic surgery where a larger approach is the safest option.
• Removal of mediastinal and chest-wall tumours.
• Surgery for pleural disease, including drainage and procedures for recurrent fluid or collapsed lung.
• Diagnostic surgical procedures to obtain tissue when other methods cannot.
• Airway surgery for selected tracheal conditions.

Because most major thoracic operations are part of treating cancer, they are planned within a multidisciplinary team so that surgery, where needed, fits together with chemotherapy, radiotherapy and the patient’s overall plan.

The multidisciplinary team

Thoracic surgery rarely works alone. It collaborates closely with medical and radiation oncology in the treatment of lung and chest cancers, with pulmonology in assessing the lungs and managing airway disease, with radiology and nuclear medicine for imaging and staging, with pathology for diagnosis, and with anaesthesia and intensive care, whose role is critical to safe recovery after chest surgery. Within the unit, specialist nurses and physiotherapists guide the breathing exercises and early mobilisation that are central to recovery, and coordinators support international patients. Cancer cases are discussed in a tumour board so the surgical plan reflects every relevant specialty.

Technology and facilities

The unit is built around modern operating theatres equipped for video-assisted and, where available, robot-assisted thoracic surgery, supported by advanced imaging, bronchoscopy, lung-function testing and dedicated thoracic intensive care. As throughout the network, this equipment is operated by experienced teams and maintained to strict standards, which is what makes complex chest surgery dependable and recovery as smooth as possible.

What to expect as an international patient

For a patient travelling from abroad, the unit is structured to make a major decision clear and well prepared. Your case is first reviewed remotely from your existing imaging (especially CT and PET-CT), biopsy reports and lung-function results, often within a multidisciplinary discussion, so the team can advise whether surgery is the right option, whether travel is necessary, and what to arrange. On arrival, you can expect a thorough assessment, a clear explanation of the recommended operation, its alternatives and what recovery involves, and a written plan agreed with you. An international patient coordinator remains your single point of contact throughout, and ensures that the oncology, pulmonology and other units your care involves are engaged from the start. The unit also plans your follow-up and the documentation you will need on returning home.

Remote review before you travel

You do not need to travel to begin. Chest surgery is well suited to remote review because the key information — CT and PET-CT imaging, biopsy results and lung-function tests — can be shared and assessed before any decision. The unit can advise whether an operation is appropriate, whether a minimally invasive approach is possible, and outline the likely plan, timeline and cost. A remote second opinion is available if you would like an expert surgical view on a diagnosis or on a proposed operation before you decide.

Quality and standards

Chest surgery is demanding, and the unit works to defined clinical protocols, draws on accredited imaging, laboratory and pathology services, and contributes to the hospital’s overall safety systems, including infection control and the structured care that follows major surgery. Accreditation such as JCI applies at hospital level and reflects how well these systems work across its units. When considering surgery, it is reasonable to ask about a unit’s experience in your specific condition, its use of minimally invasive techniques, and what the typical recovery looks like; an experienced thoracic team will be glad to discuss this.

Recovery after chest surgery

Recovery is a planned part of thoracic surgery, and the unit prepares patients for it from the outset. After an operation on the chest, the early days focus on comfortable breathing, clearing the lungs and getting moving, supported by physiotherapists who guide breathing exercises and early walking — steps that genuinely speed recovery and reduce complications. Minimally invasive (VATS or robot-assisted) operations, where they are suitable, generally mean less pain and a shorter hospital stay than open surgery, though the right approach is always the one that is safest for the particular patient and condition. Pain is managed actively so that breathing and movement are not held back. Before discharge, the team explains what to expect in the weeks that follow — how activity can be built up gradually, what is normal and what should prompt a call — and provides the documentation an international patient needs. The timing of the journey home, including when it is safe to fly after chest surgery, is discussed individually, since it depends on the operation and on how recovery is going. Where the surgery is part of cancer treatment, the unit also sets out the follow-up plan and how it links with any further treatment and with the patient’s doctors at home. This structured approach to recovery is as much a part of the unit’s work as the operation itself.

This page is for general information and does not constitute medical advice, a diagnosis or a treatment recommendation. The units and services available vary between hospitals in the network; please confirm details for the unit proposed for your care, and always consult a qualified clinician about your situation.