Hello GeorgeRO, 

A warm welcome to our forum though I am sorry you have been through so much recently and are having to deal with both the abdominal aortic aneurysm and the lung cancer diagnosis. It's a difficult decision to have to make whether to opt for a VATS or a RATS procedure. In our information on the types of surgery for lung cancer, there is a mention of keyhole surgery video assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) and robotic assisted thoracic surgery (RATS) which uses a computer system to help the surgeon to guide the surgical tools.

I wouldn't know myself what the risks or benefits of each procedure might be but you could perhaps give our cancer nurses a call on this free number 0808 800 4040 - their helpline is open Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm and they will be happy to tell you more about each procedure to help you understand what is involved in each case and what the risks or benefits might be. 

I've also had a little look on the forum to try and find other recent threads from members who have either had a VATS or a RATS and I have found this VATS thread by Kettle  . I also noticed Ails60 's Possible Lung Cancer thread who mentioned in a comment to their thread having RATS for lung cancer. These are just a couple of examples and I hope that you will hear from others on here who have had either VATS or RATS and that they will be along shortly to share their personal journeys and treatment experiences with you. 

Best of luck with making this difficult decision and I think you are right to try and get as many insights and information as possible so that you can make an informed decision. Talking to your medical team about the pros and cons is also a good idea as they will be well aware of your medical circumstances especially with the added complication of the AAA and they will be in the best position to guide you so I hope that they will be helpful in explaining your various options. 

Best wishes, 

Lucie, Cancer Chat Moderator