Ascension Providence now has new robot for lung cancer care

Ascension Providence is using a new robotic-assisted technology that can help doctors diagnose and treat lung cancer earlier than previously possible. The health system is the first in Central Texas to have this technology, and one of only 25 health systems across the country with the Ion robot.

The Ion robot-assisted bronchoscopy is a minimally-invasive technology that can help improve accuracy and precision of the biopsy of a potentially cancerous nodule. Previously, when a patient met the clinical criteria and required a biopsy of a nodule on the lungs, doctors were not able to reliably biopsy the nodule through a bronchoscopy if it was less than 2 centimeters, meaning the patient would need to either return at a later date to see if the nodule had grown or undergo lung resection without an established diagnosis.

With robot-assisted bronchoscopy, doctors can biopsy nodules as small as 1 centimeter, potentially diagnosing lung cancer earlier. They can also investigate nodules in more hard-to-reach areas that may have previously required CT scan-guided biopsies, which can have significant complications.

“The latest statistics show that more people in the United States die of lung cancer than any other type of cancer. This is partially because lung cancer is often diagnosed at a later stage than other cancers,” said Dr. Boris Murillo, a pulmonologist at Ascension Providence. “This technology gives us the opportunity to more reliably biopsy and diagnose lung cancer in a suspicious nodule detected by low-dose CT scan performed for lung cancer screening.”

Robot-assisted bronchoscopy is one of many tools used by the dedicated, multidisciplinary lung cancer team at Ascension Providence, the only multidisciplinary team of its kind in Waco. The team, called the Lung Cancer Tumor Conference, meets biweekly to review patient cases and identify the most appropriate treatment plans. The team consists of nurse navigators, pulmonologists, surgeons, radiologists, case managers and physical and occupational therapists, and has established specific criteria in which each patient falls into one of three categories, ranging from low risk to high risk. The Lung Cancer Tumor Conference has allowed for expedited diagnosis and treatment for lung cancer patients at Ascension Providence, with an average of 39 days from a patient’s first presentation to a clinician to their treatment date, which is almost two weeks faster than two other health systems in Texas and Wisconsin who published results to a similar study.

The Ion is the newest tool the team of clinicians at Ascension Providence can use to diagnose and treat patients with lung cancer. Using this new technology, doctors can create a roadmap to access the lung nodule before they even begin the procedure. Then, a doctor controlling the robot can access the nodule by guiding a catheter to it using the roadmap and a camera. The robotic device remains steady and adjusts with the patient’s breath, which can reduce potential complications.

“This technology gives us the ability to biopsy patients who could potentially have lung cancer, but have smaller nodules, meaning they were previously unable to be biopsied safely through bronchoscopy. Now, we’re able to bring many of these patients back sooner and provide them with a diagnosis and treatment plan,” said Dr. Maydee Rosario-Reglero, a pulmonologist at Ascension Providence. “We’re excited to be able to provide this potentially life-saving technology to our community."