White Plains, N.Y., May 27, 2025 – White Plains Hospital announced today that it now offers a new, state-of-the-art, robotic-assisted technology that has the potential to diagnose lung cancer earlier by reaching small, difficult-to-reach nodules in the peripheral lung, where more than 70% of cancerous lung nodules may be located.
“Unfortunately, when lung cancer is diagnosed it is often advanced, and patients are typically inoperable,” said Dr. Todd Weiser, White Plains Hospital Director of Thoracic Surgery. “With the wider acceptance of lung cancer screening and this new robotic platform, we can diagnose lung cancer in its earliest stages. This gives us the best chance of removing it when it is more curable.”
Dr. Weiser – who recently performed the Hospital’s first ION-assisted bronchoscopy – describes the ION Robotic Bronchoscopy Platform as “a very accurate GPS system for the lungs.”
A standard bronchoscopy allows a doctor to examine the airways (bronchi) in the lung to diagnose such conditions as infections, tumors, and blockages and to collect tissue samples for biopsies. With a robotic bronchoscopy, the doctor inserts a catheter through the patient’s mouth under anesthesia to reach the lung, using small instruments to collect samples of the nodule tissue, often in areas of the lung that are nearly impossible to reach using the standard procedure. Patients are usually discharged the same day following the procedure.
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the United States. However, when diagnosed at the earliest stage, the average 5-year survival rate is 92%. Screening for the disease can make a crucial difference for patients aged 50-80 who have a long history of smoking. “A lung cancer screening can absolutely save lives,” Dr. Weiser says, “and now with this technology, we can provide even more hope.”
Patients with a 20-pack year smoking history (smoking a pack/day for 20 years) are eligible for lung cancer screening through a referral from their primary care physician. For more information about the Hospital’s lung cancer screening program and to learn more about the ION Robotic Bronchoscopy Platform, visit its website.
About White Plains Hospital
White Plains Hospital is a proud member of the Montefiore Health System, serving as its tertiary hub of advanced care in the Hudson Valley. The Hospital is a 292-bed not-for-profit healthcare organization with the primary mission of providing exceptional acute and preventive medical care to all people who live in, work in or visit Westchester County and its surrounding areas. White Plains Hospital has outpatient medical facilities across Westchester, including multispecialty practices in Armonk, Hawthorne, Larchmont, New Rochelle, Rye Brook, Somers, Yonkers and Yorktown Heights; and Scarsdale Medical Group locations in Harrison and Scarsdale.
The Hospital is fully accredited by the Joint Commission and in 2024, White Plains Hospital received another 5-star rating from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) — the highest distinction offered by that federal agency for the third consecutive year. In addition, the Hospital received its third Magnet® designation from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), a distinction held by only two percent of hospitals in the country. In 2025, White Plains Hospital was awarded an “A” Safety Grade from the Leapfrog Group for the 13th consecutive time.