White Plains Hospital builds on the success of its lung cancer screening program with a cutting-edge new option for early detection.
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the United States, accounting for about 1 in 5 of all cancer deaths, according to the American Cancer Society. However, more patients than ever are surviving lung cancer. The survival rate has increased by 26% over the past five years (American Lung Association) with much of that success attributable to earlier and better screening methods, which catch cancer when it can be most effectively treated.
White Plains Hospital recently added the latest high-tech tool to its cancer screening capabilities: the ION Robotic Bronchoscopy Platform.
What is the ION Robotic Bronchoscopy Platform?
Approved by the FDA in 2019, this minimally invasive robotic instrument gives physicians a new, precise way to access growths in the lung, known as nodules, and take a sample for biopsy. ION can reach even the smallest nodules in the outer periphery of the lungs. Various independent studies have reported navigational success in as much as 96.6% of cases using ION.
How does the ION platform work?
White Plains Hospital’s Director of Thoracic Surgery Dr. Todd Weiser calls the ION “a very accurate GPS system for the lungs.” It consists of a flexible tube inserted into the patient’s mouth and threaded into the lung while the patient is sedated. ION’s navigation system guides the surgical team’s placement of the biopsy needle quickly and accurately into the remote areas of the lung to remove tissue. Most patients can go home the same day.
Why can ION be a game-changer for early lung cancer detection?
Traditional bronchoscopy is done with a low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) scan. If the LDCT detects a lung nodule, surgeons will use a higher-dose CT or ultrasound scan to guide them to the growth and remove tissue for biopsy. However, if that growth is in a peripheral area of the lung, the patient might need a more extensive operation—and a longer recovery time—to access the nodule. In some cases, the nodule cannot be accessed at all. That’s where ION comes in. “The small size and flexibility of the tube allow us to reach tiny nodules in places that can be very hard to reach otherwise,” Dr. Weiser says. “This robotic platform allows us to diagnose early-stage cancer, which gives us the best chance of treating it when it is more curable, in a more timely and safe manner.”
Lung cancer screening, Dr. Weiser says, saves the lives of more high-risk patients than either mammogram or colonoscopy. “And now with this technology, we can provide even more hope,” he explains.
Learn more about lung cancer screening and treatment options at White Plains Hospital.