Saving Lives of Lung Cancer Patients

Local Surgeon Offers a Minimally Invasive, Robotics Surgery

Dr. Samer A. Kanaan, MD, FACS, FCCP combines compassionate care and state-of-the-art technology to bring the best in minimally-invasive thoracic surgery to Orange County. His revolutionary approach utilizes the da Vinci® Surgical System to ensure a high rate of success in treating cancer and lung disease, including faster recovery times and less risk of infection, pain, and scarring.

Dr. Kanaan is a Harvard-trained, board-certified surgeon specializing in minimally-invasive robotic surgery, and is one of only a handful of doctors in the United States qualified to use the da Vinci® Surgical System to perform high precision thoracic surgeries. Dr. Kanaan received his medical degree and general surgery training from Northwestern University. He completed his thoracic fellowship at USC and a lung cancer fellowship at Harvard’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Since then, he has worked as an attending surgeon at numerous hospitals and medical centers throughout California, and in 2018 was appointed Chair of the Cancer Committee at Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo.

“My goal,” says Dr. Kanaan, “is to take all of my training and research to bring something to Orange County that did not exist before I arrived.”

Lung cancer is the #1 cancer killer in America and the world and has previously been treatable only through chemotherapy, open chest surgery, or 2-dimensional video-assisted surgery. “What is important for patients to realize,” says Lina, Dr. Kanaan’s wife and office manager, “is that if you have lung cancer, you have options. You have the power to choose your surgeon, even if you have already received a referral.”

The da Vinci® Surgical System works by greatly increasing the surgeon’s visualization of the operating field through a 3D camera, which provides a magnified, high-resolution image of the lung and chest area. The surgeon controls four interactive robotic arms through miniaturized EndoWrist surgical instruments, which mimic the exact movements of his hands as he sews, staples, and dissects tissue. As Dr. Kanaan puts it, “It’s a better cancer operation; better for the patient. I won’t ever go back to using the traditional or 2-dimensional camera systems.”

The benefits of minimally-invasive robotic surgery go far beyond surgical precision during the operation. Since the procedure only makes small, 1 cm. incisions in the rib space, it does not require spreading or cutting the breastbone or ribs. This means the operation is safer for patients, who experience less blood loss, have shorter hospital stays, and can usually return to normal activities within a few weeks. Robotic thoracic surgery also makes lung surgery a viable option for older patients in their 80s and 90s, who would normally be prohibited from considering a surgical care option.

Unlike with many other specialists, patients at Dr. Kanaan’s Laguna Hills and Mission Viejo offices don’t have to wait weeks, or even months, just to get an appointment. Dr. Kanaan usually gets patients in for an appointment within one week, and will often be performing robotic-assisted surgery a week later. With an emphasis on high quality, compassionate care, Dr. Kanaan and his team are in constant communication with patients’ healthcare providers and hospitals, facilitating the operation so everything runs smoothly and according to plan.

In fact, Dr. Kanaan is so highly respected in his field that the makers of the da Vinci® robotic system have asked him to train other surgeons in its use. He routinely travels across the country teaching expert surgeons at some of the most prestigious hospitals and universities in the nation, including the Head of Thoracic Surgery at USC.

Yet it is not just the da Vinci® Surgical System or his years of experience that sets Dr. Kanaan apart from others in the medical profession. As his wife, Lina relates, “this isn’t just a job for him, this is a calling. This is God working through his hands.”

To learn more about Dr. Kanaan and robotic thoracic surgery, or to schedule an appointment, visit www.SamerKannanMD.com. He is a preferred provider for most medical insurance plans, including Medicare.

SAMER A. KANAAN, MD, FACS
27451 LOS ALTOS, SUITE 290, MISSION VIEJO • 23961 CALLE MAGDALENA, SUITE 517, LAGUNA HILLS
949.444.LUNG • SAMERKANAANMD.COM