Community Health Network surgeons recently performed the network’s 100th lung biopsy using ion robotic assistance. According to CHN, the new high-tech procedure offers hope for early diagnosis of lung cancer.
In a news release, the health provider stated that the Ion Endoluminal System is a robotic-assisted procedure that uses an ultra-thin catheter to access parts of the lung previously unreachable in a standard biopsy.
“It can reach small lesions in all parts of the lung and even difficult-to-reach nodules outside the airways,” the news release stated. “The minimally invasive procedure is key in early diagnosis of lung cancer, which can result in improved outcomes and survival rates.”
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the United States. The American Cancer Society estimates there were nearly 237,000 new lung cancer cases in 2022. The National Institute of Health states that in about half of the patients, by the time lung cancer is diagnosed, the cancer has spread beyond the initial tumor.
Community Health Network invested in its Ion Endoluminal System in fall 2022, bringing it to Community Heart and Vascular Hospital. Thoracic surgeons and pulmonologists were trained for robot-assisted lung biopsies, and now the team has celebrated more than 100 ion procedures.
For more about Community Health Network’s cancer care services, visit ecommunity.com/services/cancer-care.
