UnityPoint Health – Trinity's new medical system helps detect lung cancer earlier
UnityPoint Health – Trinity is going small in order to make a big impact on lung cancer.
Its new acquisition is called the Ion Endoluminal System, a robotic-assisted machine for minimally invasive biopsy in the lung.
'(The system) uses an ultra-thin catheter, which has a diameter of 3.5 millimeters and a working channel of two millimeters,' said Dr. Abdul M. Rana, a UnityPoint Health – Trinity pulmonologist. 'It lets us go into more peripheries to help us diagnose lungs that may not have been previously (examined by) biopsy-using traditional platforms.'
A deeper look into the lung means lung cancer can be detected earlier, which Rana said is critical.
'Five-year survival is about 90 percent versus someone who is diagnosed with a Stage 4 disease,' Rana said. 'At that point, you're looking at a survival rate of 10 to 20 percent.'
The need for the newly acquired system is clear: Both Iowa and Illinois have higher rates of new lung cancer cases than the national average, according to the American Lung Association.
'This platform gives us the ability to do multiple lung nodules in different parts of the lung, so it's not like you have to come back and get another lung biopsy,' Rana said.
The same-day procedure lasts about two hours, and results come back in three business days.
'With the software, we are able to virtually identify the target,' Rana said.
The feedback has been positive so far.
'Most of the physicians are either trained on it, or getting trained on it, but we do feel like the numbers will increase, and we will be better able to serve our communities,' Rana said.
According to the American Cancer Society, lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide.
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