Lung Cancer Program

The Mary Washington Healthcare Regional Cancer Center's Lung Cancer Program is managed by J. Timothy Sherwood, MD. Dr. Sherwood has a dedicated thoracic practice in Fredericksburg, Virginia and is also the director of our Thoracic Surgery program. He treats patients from across the country, who are referred to the Regional Cancer Center for the most advanced surgeries, many of which require additional skill to perform. This makes the Regional Cancer Center's lung cancer program one of the truly unique programs of its kind.

Ask the Experts: Lung Cancer

Dr. Sherwood has a special surgical team and operates exclusively at Mary Washington Hospital, a tertiary-care medical center with large surgical suites to accommodate specialized surgical teams and equipment. We also have dedicated services for post-surgical care for lung cancer.

VATS Procedures

Dr. Sherwood uses a state-of-the-art technique known as video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) that enables the surgeon to see and work inside the chest with very small incisions and special instruments. A small telescope, called a thoracoscope, is inserted through one incision to capture a clear image of the operating area. Dr. Sherwood views this image on a video screen while performing the procedure using specialized surgical instruments inserted into the chest through other tiny incisions. VATS has dramatically changed thoracic surgery by eliminating the need for completely opening the chest in many procedures.