Huntington Health Introduces Advanced Robotic System for Same-Day Lung Biopsies

When patients are informed that they need a lung biopsy to rule out cancer, time can seem to slow down. Where they go from there — scheduling a biopsy, undergoing surgery, waiting for results, then arranging medical interventions if need be — can seem like a long, scary road ahead.

Huntington Health has launched a robotic-assisted system called Ion designed to streamline this process. The technology enables physicians to perform minimally invasive biopsies, deliver diagnoses, and begin treatment all within the same day, eliminating the traditional multi-step process that can take weeks or months.

“A significant aspect of providing compassionate care involves anticipating the challenges that patients can face when presented with a new diagnosis,” said Ayman Saad, a Huntington Health-affiliated pulmonologist. “In the past, if a CT scan showed a suspicious nodule on the lung, the patient would have to be referred for a biopsy. This can involve a long wait time, meeting a new team of doctors, not to mention the inherent risks of an invasive procedure. There is also the wait-time from getting the biopsy to getting the results. Whether benign or otherwise, this can be agonizing.”

The Ion system operates through an ultra-thin, maneuverable catheter and integrated vision probe that can reach all 18 segments of the lungs through a patient’s airway. The technology provides exact location and shape information, holding the catheter in place for precise placement for tools like a flexible biopsy needle.

“Another important benefit — the technology is less invasive than traditional bronchoscopy, which makes the procedure gentler on patients, so they experience less discomfort and shorter recovery,” Hooman Sazegar explained.

Ion’s benefit of reducing diagnostic time should also be stressed. According to the American Lung Association, finding lung cancer at a late stage puts the five-year survival rate at only nine percent, while early detection increases the five-year survival rate to 64 percent.

“Ion allows us to biopsy multiple spots in the lungs—even on both sides—at the same time,” says Mahfoozi. “It also helps us reach areas that are difficult or impossible to access with traditional CT-guided biopsy, all with a strong safety record.”

Early detection is one of the most important factors in improving survival rates. The earlier lung cancer is found and treated, the better the outcome for patients.

Patients interested in the procedure can email LungNoduleProgram@HuntingtonHealth.org, call (626) 397-2524, or visit Lung Cancer Screening & Diagnosis | Huntington Hospital.