Introduction to the Center

At the Respiratory center, medical workers from the Department of Internal Medicine for Pulmonology, Department of Internal Medicine for allergy, and Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery department are working together for the systematic management of chronic respiratory and allergic diseases as well as to overcome lung cancer. Beginning with 7,000 inpatient s at the time of its opening in 2003, the Respiratory center realized rapid developments. In particular, it recorded a total of 2,400 surgeries in 2007. With the number of lung cancer surgeries increasing by 30% every year, the center recorded more than 600 cases of lung cancer surgeries in 2007.

Boasting of the highest ratio of thoracoscope surgeries in Korea

This center succeeded in performing esophageal cancer surgery using a thoracoscope for the first time in Korea; thus opening the age of esophageal cancer surgeries using a thoracoscope. Today, this center operates 90% or more of early lung cancers using a thoracoscope, thereby boasting of the highest ratio of thoracoscope surgeries.

Provision of differentiated treatment methods

Although the basic cancer treatments include surgery, anticancer treatments, and radiation therapy, these cannot treat all cancers. The Respiratory center provides those patients who cannot be easily treated by the existing methods with various treatment methods such as photodynamic therapy, intrathoracic hyperthermia, and chemical therapy. The photodynamic therapy was operated to treat or relieve completely the symptoms of patients with lung cancer or esophageal cancer; thus opening a new horizon of photodynamic therapy in Korea. Moreover, this center introduced the intrapleural perfusion hyperthermic-chemotherapy drug perfusion therapy for the first time in 2005 and obtained good treatment outcomes