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Fighting Lung Cancer the Minimally Invasive Way 2011 quickly became more than an annoyance. His family and friends suggested he have it checked out, so the 58-year-old Bayville teacher and athletic director visited his primary care physician in April. S A potentially cancerous growth was discovered in Vincent's right lung following a series of imaging tests. After a subsequent biopsy, Vincent was referred to Bhavesh Balar, MD, hematologist/oncologist with Monmouth Middlesex Hematology-Oncology and on the medical staff at CentraState Medical Center. What happened next, in Vincent's words, "changed my whole life." Bhavesh Balar, MD, hematologist/oncologist "Dr. Balar didn't agree with the initial pathology report, which indicated I had a possible gastrointestinal cancer that had spread to my lung," Vincent says. "Dr. Balar requested a second report from Johns Hopkins in Maryland, which indicated the cancer was lung-centered. Scans of other parts of my body also supported that conclusion. Dr. Balar took my case to a multidisciplinary committee of specialists at CentraState [LungCare Comprehensive Cancer Program] that he chairs, where I was fortunate enough to meet Dr. Bocage, who was the utmost professional." A TERRIFIC TANDEM Jean-Philippe Bocage, MD, FACS, with Thoracic Group, PA, and his practice partner Robert Caccavale, MD, FACS, FACP, know the value of teamwork. Fighting Cancer with Proton Therapy Cancerous tumors on the lung can now be treated with the innovative technique of proton therapy, in which proton beams are used to destroy cancer cells in lieu of standard X-rays. Proton therapy delivers radiation more directly and produces fewer side effects. When CentraState's new ProCure Proton Therapy Center opens in early 2012, it will be just the 10th such facility in the United States. Read the January/February issue of Healthy Directions for an in-depth look at this groundbreaking new facility. www.centrastate.com November/December 2011 3 ometimes, a cough is just a cough. For Vincent Stasio, however, a cough that developed in March Jean-Philippe Bocage, MD, board-certifi ed thoracic surgeon Both physicians are board-certified in thoracic surgery and on the medical staff at CentraState. Together they have performed more than 6,000 minimally invasive video-assisted thoracic surgeries (VATS) during the past two decades. "The biggest advantages of VATS are that surgeons don't have to divide patients' muscles or spread their rib cages as they do during an open procedure, and patients' hospital stays are greatly reduced," Dr. Bocage says. "In approximately 45 minutes, we removed Mr. Stasio's tumor through four small incisions, and he went home the next day." Only three days after undergoing VATS in mid- June, Vincent no longer needed pain medication. After successful surgery to remove a tumor on his right lung, Vincent Stasio is back to roaming the halls as a Bayville teacher and athletic director. Join Jay and Jen and Improve Your Lifestyle! Although he still has some miles to go in his cancer journey, he's grateful for the care he received at CentraState during the first steps. "It was a true blessing that I met Dr. Balar, and the rest is history," Vincent says. "Everything at CentraState was top shelf." To find a thoracic surgeon at CentraState, call (866) CENTRA7 (866-236-8727) or visit www.centrastate.com/PhysicianFinder. HD