According to the American Cancer Society, there will be about 237,000 new cases of lung cancer in the United States in 2022. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer related death, even when compared with breast, colon and prostate cancer combined.
Early diagnosis and treatment are key factors to make patients cancer free. Mount Sinai Medical Center recently acquired the latest technological innovation for lung biopsies. This new technology—Ion robotic navigational system—allows for the early detection of lung cancer through the safe biopsy of pulmonary tumors.
Ion works like a GPS system on a car; only the destination is a tumor (lung nodule) and the route is via airways in the lungs that lead to it.
The day of the procedure, patients undergo a CT scan, which aids in the planning of the procedure. The surgeon downloads these CT scan images on the robot’s software, which helps the physician identify and create a target around the tumor.
From the patient CT scan, the Ion’s software generates 3D images and creates a pathway and anatomy borders, to navigate to the targeted area.
During the procedure, the surgeon uses the robot’s controller to navigate to the target along the pre-planned path. The ultra-thin robotic catheter, which is inserted into the patient’s airway, has incredibly advanced maneuverability, allowing the physician to navigate far into the peripheral lung and reach the area within the tumor.
The camera probe allows for a live view and high definition resolution. The 3.5mm outer diameter of the catheter allows the physician to facilitate biopsies of the smallest nodules.
The Ion robot allows for safe, efficient and less-invasive outpatient procedures that lead to early diagnosis and higher rates of cancer free patients through robotic assisted lung resections.
For more information about Dr. Roy Williams, Chief, Division of Thoracic Surgery, Dr. Fernando Safdie, Director of Airway and Endoluminal Surgery Program and Associated Director of Thoracic Surgery and our expert team of thoracic surgeons, click here.
