Farmington Man Featured in WDIV's 'Minds of Medicine'

Today, thanks to surgical innovations, cancerous tumors that were once impossible to reach now are being removed – preserving lives and improving outcomes.

A Farmington man is a living testament to this, and his story will be part of this week's Minds of Medicine: "Beating Cancer with Surgery", scheduled to air at 7 p.m. Sept. 29 on WDIV-TV Channel 4. The series of medical shows is locally produced  in cooperation with WDIV and Henry Ford Health System.

Many of these advancements begin at the Center for Cancer Surgery at Henry Ford Hospital. This new collaboration focused dozens of the top surgeons from virtually every sub-specialty on finding new, innovative surgical solutions for beating cancer. The Center for Cancer Surgery team treats more adult cancer cases than anywhere else in Michigan. 

Hosted by Paul W. Smith, morning radio personality for WJR AM 760, Minds of Medicine provides an inside look at the doctors and nurses at one of the nation's top-rated hospitals.

Bill MacInnis, of Farmington, arrives at Henry Ford for a robotic surgery to remove a tumor on his kidney. His physician, Dr. Craig Rogers has performed more robotic kidney cancer surgeries than anyone else in the world. Dr. Rogers is the director of Robotic Renal Surgery at Henry Ford.

And in Bill’s case, Dr. Rogers will attempt to remove the tumor and spare Bill’s kidney.  It’s a procedure he has done hundreds of times before and just months ago for Bill’s brother, John MacInnis, of Northville, who had successful treatment for his kidney cancer.

Because of his serious cancer risk, Bill has elected to remove the tumor.

Using robotic surgical technology that is also used at Henry Ford to treat prostate, gynecological, bladder, throat, lung and abdominal cancers, Dr. Rogers will travel visually through tiny incisions using three-dimensional imagery and tools designed to cut, grab and suture. 

With only a fraction of the blood-loss of traditional surgery, he will be able to spare Bill’s kidney and give him a recovery that lasts days instead of months.

Frank Hill, of St. Clair Shores, was taken to the Henry Ford Hospital emergency room for a head injury and a cut above his eye. He and his family believed this would be a short visit and a quick recovery. But after a precautionary scan, doctors found there was much more to this story: there was a tumor the size of a tennis ball in his brain.

Now a surgery risking his sight and his life will need to be performed to remove the tumor. And only after its removal will doctors know if the tumor he has is cancer.

To ensure the tumor’s precise removal, the team will use an intraoperative MRI scanner. This is the only high-field adult iMRI in Michigan, and one of only a handful in the U.S. In addition to brain tumor surgeries, it is also used during deep brain stimulation.

With all of these tools, Henry Ford neurosurgeon Dr. Ian Lee will be able to travel to the tumor, remove it and spare Frank’s normal brain tissue – with precision never before available.

The show will be repeated 12:30 p.m.-1 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 3.

To learn more about the Center for Cancer Surgery, call 888-777-4167 or visit www.henryford.com/cancer.

Source: Henry Ford Health System press release