UK-based study reveals robotics is expediently used for lung cancer detection

London clinicians have been the first in the UK to use robots for examining lung cancer, which might considerably speed up cancer diagnosis.

The device in question is Intuitive's Ion Endoluminal System, which allows doctors to introduce a tiny catheter into a patient's lung via their mouth to reach suspected malignant lung nodules.

When compared to conventional approaches, Robotic technology allows for more precision as well as enhanced access to difficult-to-reach places, allowing physicians to establish a clear diagnosis earlier and therefore provide patients with the best chance of a happy outcome.

The robotic device is being tested in clinical research at the Royal Brompton and St Bartholomew's hospitals in London.

The announcement comes shortly after the government revealed plans in June to begin a new targeted lung cancer screening scheme.

The extension implies that more suspicious nodules will be spotted, and physicians will be able to provide patients with a more definitive diagnosis at an earlier stage by exploiting the technology's capabilities.

Professor Pallav Shah, a consultant respiratory physician at Royal Brompton Hospital, explained why this is so critical. "We know that an earlier diagnosis of lung cancer leads to significantly better outcomes for our patients," he stated.

"When we see patients with cancerous lung nodules larger than 30mm in size, their five-year survival rate is around 68%, but if we can detect these nodules at a smaller size, less than 10mm in size, we have a 92% survival rate."

"This new technology is transformative for us as clinicians because it allows us to access and biopsy nodules less than 10mm in size in difficult-to-reach areas of the lungs."

This is even though lung cancer is the most lethal type of illness in the UK, with more than two-thirds of cases discovered at a later stage.