A cutting-edge robotic tool is allowing doctors to detect lung cancer in its early stages. Wythenshawe Hospital in the UK is one of the first to use the technology, which could reduce the wait for diagnosis and treatment by months.
Called the “Ionic Endoluminal System” — or Ion system — the tool works like a thin robotic catheter capable of reaching the most difficult places in the organ to perform a biopsy quickly and accurately.
The technology builds on Wythenshawe’s pioneering work on the Greater Manchester Lung Health Check programme, where screening centres diagnosed more than 600 lung cancers, most of which were at an early and curable stage. The new robotic system was recently used on the first patients suspected of having lung cancer.
Haval Balata, a lung specialist and clinical lead for the Ion system at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, said the new robot would transform the way lung cancer patients are treated, as they could start treatment or be discharged months earlier than is currently the case.
“Having this innovative new technology available for our patients to access is a game-changer. As we continue to successfully expand our Lung Health Check program, we are diagnosing lung cancers at a much earlier stage, when lesions are very small and difficult to biopsy,” he said. statement.
Currently, lung cancer is diagnosed through clinical, laboratory, endoscopic or radiological examinations of people with suspicious signs and symptoms of the disease. Chest X-rays and CT scans are initially performed to assess the presence of a lung nodule or mass. Once the suspicion is confirmed, additional tests such as PET-SCAN and MRI are requested to assess the extent of the disease.
Imaging-guided lung biopsy is most often used to confirm pathological lesions. However, small lung nodules can be difficult to reach with traditional biopsy methods, which increases the waiting time for confirmation of the diagnosis, as the nodules need to grow larger before they can be tested.
“Ion allows us to safely and accurately sample these lesions and provide patients with the much-needed answers they seek. This in turn allows us to offer patients the best possible treatments sooner rather than later, when treatment is much more likely to be successful,” explains Balata.
Early diagnosis of lung cancer increases the likelihood of tumor survival over five years by 20 times, compared to those diagnosed at an advanced stage.
“Our lung cancer screening teams have led the way in developing new ways to identify patients with cancer as early as possible, which is already improving patient outcomes and quality of life. The recent introduction of Ion will help us make further progress in this area,” said Mark Cubbon, Chief Executive of Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust.
This content was originally published in Lung cancer: new robot can speed up diagnosis by months on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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