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The diagnostic workup of potential lung cancer can be complicated, as it requires multiple tests and procedures, which often leads to high anxiety in patients. Lehigh Valley Health Network is now the only area provider with a collaborative Interventional Pulmonary Program that incorporates new robotic technology to reduce time from diagnosis to treatment, condensing and simplifying the process for an improved patient experience.
“Our expedited process ensures there’s a single contact who coordinates every step in the diagnosis and appropriate referral to the correct treatment team,” explains Daniel Schwed-Lustgarten, MD, Associate Chief of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, whether a referral is needed to oncology, radiation oncology or surgery.
The physician, who meets with the patient at the first visit, uses the Ion robotic-assisted bronchoscopy platform for minimally invasive peripheral lung biopsy and can perform staging simultaneously.
“The Ion system allows us to consolidate the biopsy and staging of a potential lung cancer in a single procedure,” says Dr. Schwed-Lustgarten, adding that by sampling smaller nodules, the team also can give peace of mind that a lung nodule is not cancerous and eliminate more invasive procedures
