Dr Nara's Thoracic Surgery

07/09/2025

Block your calendar folks, especially to those up north.

CHEST Alor Setar LUNG CANCER UPDATES 2025

📅 Date: 18th October 2025
📍 Location: Auditorium, Hospital Sultanah Bahiyah
🕘 Full-day programme - CPD points awarded

We're back — and this year, it's bigger, bolder, and packed with knowledge that matters.

🔥 Highlights Include:

✅ Special sessions with eminent speakers diving deep into lung cancer breakthroughs & Lung Health Initiative
✅ MDT Discussions on real, interesting, and complex cases

✅ Hands-on Workshops:
* Spirometry
* Intercostal Drainage
* Inhalers & Devices

👩‍⚕️ Whether you're a doctor, nurse, allied health professional, or trainee, this is your chance to learn, discuss, and sharpen your clinical skills alongside top experts.

📣 Open to ALL healthcare professionals.

📌 Limited seats available. Please click on the link for registration.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1endFGRN0PbWbvbcXx5q2prdHO3sSbE6r7eB67J2UNTQ/edit

Let’s make a difference in lung health together! 🫁💪

02/09/2025

It's high time LDCT becomes more routine in medical check up. Good price from Beacon. I hope other hospitals can follow the pricing for LDCT.

🫁 Did you know? Lung cancer is not only caused by smoking, it can affect anyone.

Early detection can save lives, and a Low-Dose Computed Tomography (LDCT) scan is one of the most effective ways to catch lung cancer early.

✨ Fast | Painless | No fasting required
📌 Promotional Price: RM309*
🗓️ Campaign runs from 1 September 2025 – 30 November 2025

👉 Book your appointment today: https://go.beaconhospital.com.my/LDCT2025-FB

🔗 Learn more about LDCT scan campaign: https://go.beaconhospital.com.my/Low-Dose-CT-Lung-Screening-Promotion-2025

*Terms and Conditions Apply

30/08/2025

When will we ban this in Malaysia?

27/08/2025

We operated on a young gentleman with mediastinal Germ cell tumor - seminoma after chemotherapy. The tumor responded very well to chemo, shrunk from 11cm to 4cm. But in the post op CT scan, a lung nodule developed in the left segment 9 and 10 measuring around 2cm, which was reported to be metastatic. Afp and bhcg were normal.

He was initially counselled for sternotomy for the mediastinal lesion and thoracotomy for the lung nodule in another centre. He came to me for second opinion and we performed left uniportal VATS (a single 4cm incision) to remove both the lesions. The residual tumor in the mediastinum was densely adhered to the arch of aorta and innominate vein. Gentle and meticulous dissection separated the tumor without any disaster. The basilar segmentectomy was a straightforward surgery.

17/08/2025

An enjoyable talk at MTS Conference 2025 engaging respiratory physicians on ICG localisation of lung nodules detected early. The message was clear - There is no need to wait for nodules to grow to biopsy. Even a 5mm nodule can be localised and resected for diagnosis and therapeutic purpose. Definitive surgical intervention can be done in the same operative setting.

Thank you for the invitation. Nice catching up with old friends.

16/08/2025

A very complex surgery of thymic squamous cell ca after 4 cycles of chemotherapy. The tumor responded very well, shrunk from 10cm to 4cm. When tumors respond well to chemo, it will be accompanied by dense fibrosis, and the location of this thymic scc was at the AP window, on the left main PA. This made the surgery risky and tricky.

A left uniportal VATS resection of the tumor, phrenic nerve, pericardium and anterior segment of upper lobe was performed. Deep margin was only 1mm away, but was enough given the proximity with PA and dense fibrosis.

A multidisciplinary approach to complex tumor like this will render good outcome to patients. Referral should be made promptly to discuss the management together from the begining. Co-management will allow optimal planning without delaying intervention.

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01/08/2025

Today is Lung Cancer Day. In conjunction with it, Lung Cancer Network Malaysia (LCNM) published the CPG for management of early stage nonsmall cell lung cancer in Malaysia. This guideline was formulated after numerous meetings among the expert surgeons managing lung cancer in Malaysia. Having thIs CPG is important to educate all doctors and the public regarding the expectations in the management of lung nodule(s) detected. Hopefully we can improve the outcome of the no 1 cancer killer in Malaysia/World.

This concensus is published in Translational Lung Cancer Research
https://dx.doi.org/10.21037/tlcr-2025-296

I am encouraging all doctors to read this concensus to understand the timeline of referral to the experts if a lung nodule is detected and to know what are the options of treatment for the various early stage of lung cancer.

The full CPG can be downloaded from www.lungcancer.net.my

30/07/2025

Spontaneous pneumothorax secondary to ruptured bullae is one of the commonest thoracic emergencies. In the older days of thoracic surgery, this condition was treated by thoracotomy (12cm wound) and bullectomy only if it recurs. But, in the advent of non-intubated single port VATS bullectomy (3cm wound), there is no need to wait for recurrence and risk the patient getting tension pneumothorax and emergency chest drain insertion.

Even on initial presentation of pneumothorax with CT evidence of bullae, surgery can be done and patient will be discharged in 3 days. The cost is cheaper, no need readmission, and patients can resume their daily activities within 2 weeks.

30/07/2025

1st announcement. Something exciting is coming this Nov. The Anaesthesiology Department in collaboration with the Thoracic Surgery Unit of Hispital Kuala Lumpur will be organizing a Thoracic and Airway Symposium this November
More updates to follow suit
Keep your dates free

28/07/2025

A young patient with mediastinal Ewing sarcoma underwent excision of the mediastinal mass and left upper lobectomy 3 weeks ago.

She was very happy with the outcome and gifted me a beautiful card accompanied by a wallet...very thoughtful of her. Thank you for being a good patient.

24/07/2025

Honoured to be part of the conference.

The Inaugural Global Chest Wall Surgery Conference, co-hosted by the Institute of Chest Wall Surgery (ICWS) and the International Chest Wall Surgery Organization (ICWSO), was grandly convened on July 19, 2025, in Guangzhou, China. Nearly 100 doctors from 13 countries and regions gathered to explore....

19/07/2025

Prof Wenlin Wang is a renowned chest wall and pectus surgeon in Guang Zhou, China. He founded the International Chest Wall Surgery Organisation (ICWSO). He has performed more than 15000 chest wall reconstruction to date. I am humbled to be invited to talk in the 1st Global Chest Wall Surgery Conference on our experience in the management of chest wall tumors, organised by ICWSO.

Very insightful discussions and exchange of ideas from speakers across the globe (US, UAE, Romania, Armenia, India, Pakistan, Thailand and Malaysia). I am very pleased to see great interest is shown for chest wall work. Many thanks to Prof Wang for having us in Guangzhou.