From an interview with
Dr. Vinod Jona
McLeod Pulmonary and Critical Care Associates

The comprehensive lung program at McLeod includes our lung cancer screening program, dedicated nurse navigators, a lung nodule clinic, patient conferences with multiple specialists, and innovative treatment options. McLeod Pulmonologist Dr. Vinod Jona says that with the addition of Ion, a robotic-assisted platform for minimally invasive peripheral lung biopsy, McLeod has taken the detection of lung cancer to the next level.

“Ion enables our lung team to precisely detect lung cancer earlier, test for tumor markers, and perform smaller resections using our da Vinci robot. Additionally, this new technology revolutionizes the speed and accuracy with which lung cancer can be diagnosed, allowing for treatment to begin sooner. In essence, it enables us to provide superior care to our patients.

The Ion system offers us navigation and guidance to distant regions of the lungs in a minimally invasive outpatient procedure, enabling us to locate, biopsy and plan treatment for very small lung nodules that were previously difficult to access with traditional technology. The McLeod team is using the system to act sooner and not wait for nodules to grow before they are biopsied.

Before the procedure, we take the data from a patient’s lung CT scans and use the Ion platform to build a dynamic 3D map of the patient’s lungs. Ion allows us to navigate the safest and most efficient path to the targeted nodule using an ultrathin, moveable, camera-equipped catheter. With the platform’s controller, I can move the catheter 180 degrees in any direction to pass through small, difficult-to-reach airways and around tight bends to navigate all 18 segments of the lung.

We are also able to inform patients if the lung nodule is cancerous or not before they go home because we have rapid on-site evaluation of the biopsy. Then we can evaluate the patient’s test results by biopsying the lymph nodes during this same procedure using endobronchial ultrasound.

Early treatment for lung cancer is proven to increase survival rates to as high as 92 percent. Using Ion technology, we can establish the diagnosis sooner and perform pre-surgical staging in a single procedure. This is beneficial to patients because it requires fewer hospital visits and leads to better patient outcomes. It also allows me to ease their concerns or fears and focus on the course of treatment they want to pursue, whether that is surgery or radiation treatment.”

To learn more, speak with a pulmonologist near you.