Identifying and treating lung cancer before it becomes symptomatic: first result in Padua
28.11.2025
For the first time in the Veneto region, an asymptomatic lung nodule has been diagnosed and removed thanks to cutting-edge technology available at the Padua University Hospital. Ours is the only hospital in the region—and one of very few in Italy—that can rely on two hybrid operating rooms equipped with state-of-the-art instrumentation.
The patient was a 75-year-old woman who underwent surgery performed by the professional staff of the Pneumology and Thoracic Surgery Units. After this patient—who first came to the emergency department in July following an accidental injury—four additional similar procedures have been successfully carried out in the hybrid room, each involving integrated diagnosis and treatment of lung nodules.
Lung cancer in its early stages is indeed asymptomatic: often, a nodule is detected by chance. In recent years, the number of people requiring care has unfortunately increased, making screening essential. If the tumor is identified at an early stage, the patient can benefit from definitive surgical treatment.
In one year, the Pneumology Unit performs an average of 2,600 respiratory endoscopies, while the Thoracic Surgery Unit has already completed 21 procedures in the hybrid room, with a one-hundred-percent success rate.
