Clinicians are using robot-assisted technology to diagnose and treat lung cancer in a same-day procedure at Baptist Health Paducah (Ky.) and four other system hospitals.
The technology, the Ion rendoluminal system, uses robotic bronchoscopy and CT screening and eliminates the need for traditional biopsy to determine if masses or nodules are malignant, according to a July 18 system news release.
"The intuitive Ion robotic bronchoscope is the most significant technological advance I have found during my career for identifying lung cancer at its earliest stage," Keith Kelly, MD, pulmonologist with Baptist Health Medical Group Pulmonary & Critical Care, said in the release.
He said the technology will "prompt earlier definitive and curative treatment for lung cancer."
The procedure, which takes up to two hours, uses a thin, flexible catheter with a camera. Robotic bronchoscopy is performed through the mouth or nose and can reach suspicious nodules or masses anywhere in the lungs, where it uses a needle to collect the tissue for biopsy.