PeaceHealth St. Joseph acquires robotic bronchoscopy for earlier lung cancer diagnosis

BELLINGHAM, Wash. – About every 2 minutes in the United States, someone is diagnosed with lung cancer. Rates have been falling for decades, but it’s still the leading cause of cancer deaths in the U.S. and worldwide, killing more people than breast, prostate and colon cancer combined.

One reason lung cancer is so deadly is that most patients show no symptoms until after the cancer has spread to other parts of the body. Early diagnosis can dramatically boost those odds. To improve the outlook for our lung cancer patients, PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center is embracing innovative technology.

The Intuitive Ion™ Robotic Bronchoscopy is a robotic-assisted platform for minimally invasive lung biopsy. The Ion provides physicians with critical precision and control during bronchoscopic procedures, using shape-sensing technology with 3D imaging. Ion’s planning software allows doctors to identify and navigate a path to the abnormal growth—called a nodule. With the technology, they can confirm tool-in-lesion accuracy deep within the lung.

“More than 70 percent of all lung cancer nodules are located in the outer one-third of the lung, an area full of tight spaces and narrow airways that may be hard to reach,” said Omar Jaffer, MD, a pulmonary specialist at PeaceHealth St. Joseph. “With the Ion we can get to almost any location in the lung safely.”

Physicians use a controller-like device to navigate an ultra-thin, flexible scope through the patient’s throat and into the lungs to obtain a tissue sample for biopsy. Throughout the procedure, images captured by a tiny camera on the scope’s tip are displayed on a screen to help guide the physician.

Dr. Jaffer and Amir Gharaei, MD, medical director for Respiratory Therapy, have performed a total of 41 procedures on the Ion since PeaceHealth acquired the new technology in July.

“Traditionally, lung cancer has been diagnosed using standard bronchoscopes, needle aspiration or surgery, but those methods have limits due to accuracy, safety or invasiveness,” Dr. Gharaei said. “The Ion system enables an earlier, less-invasive diagnosis and a more hopeful future for our patients.”

PeaceHealth St. Joseph is one of 11 Washington hospitals using the Ion technology, according to its California-based manufacturer Intuitive.

“This latest addition to St. Joseph’s suite of robotic tools underscores PeaceHealth’s commitment to finding new ways to diagnose and treat illness to better serve our patients and communities,” said Chuck Prosper, chief hospital executive.

Many patients diagnosed with lung cancer will then undergo minimally-invasive lung surgery, using PeaceHealth St. Joseph’s da Vinci Xi™ Surgical Robotic System. The da Vinci system offers the most effective and least invasive surgical treatment available.

Dr. Jaffer urged people at risk for lung cancer to talk with their primary care providers about a screening. Yearly screenings are recommended for people who:

• Have a 20 pack per year or more smoking history, and
• Smoke now or have quit within the past 15 years, and
• Are between 50 and 80 years old.

“If we can catch it early, lung cancer is quite treatable,” Dr. Jaffer said. “Patients who learn they have a suspicious lung nodule shouldn’t have to wait to find out if they have lung cancer. With the Ion, they no longer have to.”

About PeaceHealth: PeaceHealth, based in Vancouver, Wash., is a non-profit Catholic health system offering care to communities in Washington, Oregon and Alaska. PeaceHealth has approximately 16,000 caregivers, more than 3,000 providers, more than 160 clinics and 9 medical centers serving both urban and rural communities throughout the Northwest. In 1890, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace founded what has become PeaceHealth. The Sisters shared expertise and transferred wisdom from one medical center to another, always finding the best way to serve the unmet need for healthcare in their communities. Today, PeaceHealth is the legacy of the founding Sisters and continues with a spirit of respect, stewardship, collaboration and social justice in fulfilling its Mission. Visit us online at peacehealth.org.