Experts at London’s Royal Brompton Hospital, part of Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, are one of the first centres in the UK to use a new cutting-edge robotic technology to biopsy small and hard-to-reach lung nodules. The new device could lead to a significantly earlier diagnosis for patients who are suspected of having lung cancer.
Robotically assisted precision biopsies
The Ion Endoluminal System (Ion), a new robotic device from technology company Intuitive, allows clinicians to insert a thin and manoeuvrable catheter into a patient’s lung via their mouth to reach lung nodules suspected of being cancerous. Quick and safe accurate biopsies are made possible by this approach.
The Ion system enables consultants to sample nodules in hard-to-reach areas with greater accuracy and precision than existing techniques. The technology allows for an earlier and conclusive biopsy diagnosis for nodules which may otherwise have been monitored for long periods. In patients who have no other options for treatment, a robotically guided microwave ablation probe can be used to burn away early tumours found by the Ion Robotic system.
With 68% of Arab countries having lung cancer as one of the most frequent five types of cancer, lung screening can increase the number of suspicious nodules detected on CT scans at an earlier stage which will need to be biopsied to determine a diagnosis.
Early detection and better outcomes
Professor Pallav Shah, a leading respiratory physician at Royal Brompton Hospital, explains: “The UK’s national lung cancer screening programme, targeting smokers from 55 to 74 years old, is set to increase the number of suspicious nodules detected on CT scans at an earlier stage which will then need to be biopsied to determine a diagnosis.”
“Our patients’ outcomes are significantly better when lung cancer is diagnosed early. Patients with cancerous lung nodules of more than 30mm, have a five-year survival rate of
68%, but if we can detect these nodules when they are less than 10mm in size we are looking at a 92% survival rate,” Professor Shah said.
The revolutionary new robotic technology is transformative, allowing clinicians to access and biopsy nodules in hard-to-reach parts of the lungs that are smaller than 10 mm. This significantly increases the patients’ chances of recovery.
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www.rbhh-specialistcare.co.uk/news/ion-robot-lung-tumour
