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Your Lungs. Your Questions.
Answered.

Dr. Eleanor Voss, MD, FACS — Division of Thoracic Surgery, Hargrove University Medical Center. Specializing in lung cancer, esophageal disease, chest wall reconstruction, and mediastinal tumors.

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Credentials & Affiliations

Harvard Medical School FellowshipSociety of Thoracic Surgeons — MemberHargrove University Medical Center1,400+ Thoracic ProceduresVATS Lobectomy SpecialistAmerican College of Surgeons — FACSMinimally Invasive Thoracic SurgeryLung Cancer Research ConsortiumBoard Certified — Thoracic SurgeryEsophageal Disease Center of ExcellenceHarvard Medical School FellowshipSociety of Thoracic Surgeons — MemberHargrove University Medical Center1,400+ Thoracic ProceduresVATS Lobectomy SpecialistAmerican College of Surgeons — FACSMinimally Invasive Thoracic SurgeryLung Cancer Research ConsortiumBoard Certified — Thoracic SurgeryEsophageal Disease Center of Excellence
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Thoracic procedures

since 2010

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5-year survival rate

early-stage lung cancer

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VATS lobectomy

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Patient satisfaction

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The questions you've been searching

Lung Cancer · Operability

Is my tumor actually operable?

The honest answer is: it depends on factors I can determine within the first consultation — and most of what you've read online is written for the average patient, not your specific scan. In my experience, a significant number of patients referred to me as "inoperable" have gone on to have successful surgery. The word "inoperable" often means "not operable by the surgeon who said it."

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Operability depends on tumor size, location relative to central airways and vessels, lymph node involvement (N-stage), and your pulmonary reserve — how much healthy lung function remains. We use quantitative CT, PFTs (pulmonary function tests), and sometimes a CPET (cardiopulmonary exercise test) to determine whether surgery is safe and effective. Staging with PET-CT and endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS) gives us the complete picture. I won't recommend surgery unless the risk-benefit calculation is clearly in your favor.
VATS Lobectomy · Lung Preservation

Will I lose my whole lung?

Almost certainly not. The era of pneumonectomy — removing the entire lung — is largely behind us for most cancers. What I perform most often is a VATS lobectomy: removing the affected lobe through three small incisions, without spreading the ribs. You'll go home with roughly 70–80% of your original breathing capacity, and most patients are surprised by how quickly that feels normal.

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Video-Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery (VATS) lobectomy is the gold standard for early-stage non-small cell lung cancer. It involves three 1–2 cm port incisions and a 4 cm utility incision. Blood loss is typically under 100ml. Patients ambulate the day of surgery and are discharged in 2–3 days on average. For smaller lesions, a wedge resection or segmentectomy may preserve even more lung tissue. Robotic-assisted approaches are available for complex anatomy. The decision between lobectomy and sublobar resection is individualized based on tumor size, histology, and your pulmonary reserve.
Recovery · Post-Operative Care

What does recovery actually feel like — the real version?

Week one: you'll be tired in a way that surprises you, and the chest tube site will ache. Week two: you'll feel almost human, walking around your neighborhood. By week four, most of my patients have returned to desk work. By week eight, most have forgotten they had surgery — except when the weather changes. I'm going to tell you the hard days so they don't frighten you when they arrive.

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Post-operative pain is managed with a multimodal protocol: intercostal nerve blocks placed intraoperatively, scheduled acetaminophen, and short-course opioids for breakthrough pain. Chest tube duration averages 1–2 days. Pulmonary rehabilitation referral is standard for patients with reduced baseline function. Driving restrictions apply for 2–3 weeks. Return to strenuous activity at 6–8 weeks. Fatigue follows a non-linear recovery curve — day 10–14 is often harder than day 5. Pneumonia prophylaxis includes incentive spirometry every waking hour for the first two weeks. We conduct a follow-up CT at 3 months, 6 months, and annually thereafter.

Three questions answered. One more to go — yours.

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What brings you here today?

Conditions & Procedures

What I treat.

If you're unsure whether your condition falls within thoracic surgery, call. The answer is almost always yes.

Lung Cancer

Early and late-stage non-small cell and small cell lung cancer, including complex central tumors and sleeve resections.

VATS Lobectomy · Wedge Resection · Segmentectomy · Robotic Surgery

Pulmonary Nodules

Indeterminate nodules requiring tissue diagnosis or resection, with individualized risk stratification.

CT-Guided Biopsy · Wedge Resection · Surveillance Protocol

Esophageal Disease

Esophageal cancer, achalasia, GERD with Barrett's esophagus, and benign esophageal tumors.

Ivor Lewis Esophagectomy · Heller Myotomy · Anti-Reflux Surgery

Mediastinal Tumors

Thymoma, thymic carcinoma, neurogenic tumors, and lymphoma requiring surgical staging or resection.

Thymectomy · Mediastinoscopy · EBUS · Robotic Resection

Chest Wall

Primary chest wall tumors, traumatic rib fractures requiring stabilization, and post-radiation reconstruction.

Chest Wall Resection · Reconstruction · Rib Fixation

Pleural Disease

Malignant and benign pleural effusions, empyema, fibrothorax, and mesothelioma evaluation.

VATS Pleurodesis · Decortication · PleurX Catheter · Biopsy

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