‘Behind the Blue’: Robotic precision and catching lung cancer early
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 3, 2025) — Kentucky continues to face one of the highest rates of lung cancer in the nation, but new advances at UK HealthCare are helping doctors shorten the time from diagnosis to life-saving treatment. Through the use of cutting-edge robotic systems, University of Kentucky surgeons can now perform same-day biopsy and surgery for certain early stage lung cancers — turning what was once weeks of waiting and anxiety into a single, coordinated procedure.
UK College of Medicine’s Shari Meyerson, M.D., division chief of thoracic surgery, and Mansi Shah, M.D., assistant professor in the Division of Thoracic Surgery, are leading this effort. Their team is also the first in Kentucky — and among the first in the region — to perform thoracic procedures using the new single-port da Vinci robotic system, which allows complex operations through one small incision, helping patients recover faster and with less pain.
On this episode of “Behind the Blue,” Meyerson and Shah explain how robotic technology is transforming lung cancer care in Kentucky. They discuss the impact of same-day diagnosis and treatment, the benefits of single-port surgery for quicker recovery and reduced narcotic use and the importance of encouraging more Kentuckians to take part in routine lung-cancer screening.
“Behind the Blue” is available via a variety of podcast providers, including iTunes and Spotify. Become a subscriber to receive new episodes of “Behind the Blue” each week. The podcast features UK’s latest medical breakthroughs, research, artists and writers, along with the most important news impacting the university.
“Behind the Blue” is a joint production of the University of Kentucky and UK HealthCare. Transcripts for most episodes are now embedded in the audio file and can be accessed in many podcast apps during playback. Transcripts for older episodes remain available on the show’s blog page.
Discover the ways the University of Kentucky is advancing our Commonwealth.
UK HealthCare is the hospitals and clinics of the University of Kentucky. But it is so much more. It is more than 10,000 dedicated health care professionals committed to providing advanced subspecialty care for the most critically injured and ill patients from the Commonwealth and beyond. It also is the home of the state’s only National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, a Level IV Neonatal Intensive Care Unit that cares for the tiniest and sickest newborns and the region’s only Level 1 trauma center.
As an academic research institution, we are continuously pursuing the next generation of cures, treatments, protocols and policies. Our discoveries have the potential to change what’s medically possible within our lifetimes. Our educators and thought leaders are transforming the health care landscape as our six health professions colleges teach the next generation of doctors, nurses, pharmacists and other health care professionals, spreading the highest standards of care. UK HealthCare is the power of advanced medicine committed to creating a healthier Kentucky, now and for generations to come.