James doctors are using lasers to improve the quality of life for some patients whose lung cancer has affected their windpipes. In some late-stage lung cancers, tumors can go through patients’ windpipes or press against them, blocking the airways. Pulmonology expert Dr. Shaheen Islam explains how an advanced laser surgery, directed through a patient’s mouth and into the windpipe, can vaporize the tumor, open the airway, and if needed, insert a stent to further open the airway, restoring better breathing. The procedure, performed under local anesthesia, improves patients’ quality of life and often enables them to proceed to additional treatment, such as chemotherapy or further surgery.