Providence Willamette Falls Thoracic Surgery Clinic
Providence Willamette Falls Thoracic Surgery Clinic
Our Approach
When you are first diagnosed with cancer, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed with emotions, worries and questions. We understand. At Providence Willamette Falls Thoracic Surgery Clinic, we’re here to help. We don’t just treat the disease, we treat you as a whole person – body, mind and spirit.
Our board-certified cardiothoracic surgeons, thoracic surgical oncologists and physician assistants treat both non-cancerous (benign) and cancerous (malignant) conditions. They also treat patients with symptoms or pain from a chest condition, diaphragm disorder, thymic disorder or myasthenia gravis.
Working together as a team, our doctors use minimally invasive techniques and robotic surgery whenever possible to minimize pain, reduce complications and improve recovery time.
Our team has expertise in all aspects of thoracic surgery.
Specialists in pulmonology, radiology, pathology, surgery, medical oncology and radiation oncology use their collaborative expertise to find and treat your chest and lung conditions, including:
- Diaphragm disorders
- Diaphragm paralysis
- Lung abscess
- Lung infections
- Myasthenia gravis
- Pectus excavatum
- Pleural effusion
- Pneumothorax
- Rib and sternal fractures
- Thoracic outlet syndrome
- Thoracic schwannomas
- Tracheal stenosis
- Chest masses
- Esophageal cancer
- Lung cancer
- Lung masses
- Lymphoma diagnosis
- Mesothelioma
- Pleural tumor
- Thymoma
- Chest wall deformities
- Hyperhidrosis
- Lung nodules
- Mediastinal masses
- Pulmonary emphysema
We are leaders in cancer research, collaborating with you to determine the best treatment plan – one that’s right for you.
Lung cancer patients receive care from our Thoracic Oncology Program. This could include surgery and additional treatments like:
- Access to innovative treatments and research at the Earle A. Chiles Research Institute
- Clinical trials
- Genetic counseling and testing
- Genomics services that personalize your care using DNA and gene sequencing
- Immunotherapy treatments
- Minimally invasive surgery
- Radiation therapy
- Systemic therapies, including chemotherapies, targeted therapies, hormonal therapies and immunotherapies
Compared to traditional surgery, minimally invasive surgery has many benefits, including:
- Shorter hospital stays
- Greater precision in targeting and removing affected tissues due to video-assisted visualization
- Less post-operative pain
- A quicker recovery
- Smaller doses of post-operative pain relievers
- Smaller, less noticeable scars
- A reduced chance of complications, like infection
If you have early-stage lung cancer, minimally invasive surgery is the preferred treatment:
- Lung resection surgery – the removal of a lung or its diseased portion – can be performed with minimally invasive techniques. These include thoracoscopy or video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS), robotic surgery, or open incision (thoracotomy).
- VATS allows surgeons to make smaller incisions and avoid spreading the ribs, as required in traditional surgery. A tiny video camera called a thorascope is threaded through an incision to view the lung on a screen and precisely maneuver surgical instruments.
Supporting Our Patients
Our clinic is part of the Providence Cancer Institute of Oregon, which gives you access to unsurpassed support during every stage of your treatment.
Oncology nurse navigators work directly with your care team to help you better understand and follow your treatment plans. Our oncology resource specialists provide free, personalized assistance to patients, families and care partners. We also have oncology nutrition classes, oncology social workers, peer support groups and more.
Find a Doctor
At Providence, you'll have access to a vast network of dedicated and compassionate providers who offer personalized care by focusing on treatment, prevention and health education.
Part of Providence Cancer Institute of Oregon
Providence Cancer Institute is a leading provider of cancer care in Oregon, and part of the largest community-based cancer-care network in the United States. Regardless of where you go for care, you have an entire team of cancer experts working together to provide a personalized, whole-person approach to your care. At Providence we see more than a cancer diagnosis, we see the life in you and are committed to helping you live well again.
Find Clinical Trials
Are you looking for a clinical trial for yourself or for a patient? We’d love to help you find one!
