Mon Health Medical Center First in WV to Use Innovative Technology for Lung Cancer Diagnosis

L-R: Dr. Jaschar Shakuri-Rad, Robotic Surgeon and Urologist, Dr. Parag Chaudhari, Hospitalist, and Dr. Ihtishaam Qazi, Hematologist and Oncologist. 

 
New innovation that holds promise to fight lung cancer is now in use at Mon Health Medical Center. Used to view the inside of the lungs and obtain a tissue sample for biopsy, the goal is to enable earlier and more accurate diagnosis of small and hard-to-reach nodules in the periphery of the lung.

This technology integrates the latest advancements in robotics, software, data science, and endoscopy (the use of small cameras and tools to enter the body through its natural openings). Mon Health Medical Center is the first hospital in West Virginia to utilize the platform, which was recently cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

"Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide, in part because it has no symptoms in its early stages. Because the Monarch Platform provides improved reach, vision, and control for bronchoscopic procedures, it holds the potential to help us make a diagnosis earlier," said Dr. Jaschar Shakuri-Rad, Robotic Surgeon and Urologist at Mon Health Medical Center. "We are excited about the promise of this technology to offer a more hopeful future for our patients with lung cancer." 

More than 90 percent of people diagnosed with lung cancer do not survive the disease, in part because it is often found at an advanced stage. There are a variety of diagnostic options currently available for lung cancer, but all have limitations in accuracy, safety, or invasiveness. These limitations can lead to false positives, false negatives, or side effects such as pneumothorax (collapsed lung) and hemorrhage, which may increase health care costs and extend hospital stays. 

The Monarch Platform utilizes a familiar controller-like interface that physicians use to navigate the flexible robotic endoscope to the periphery of the lung with improved reach, vision, and control. Combining traditional endoscopic views into the lung with computer-assisted navigation based on 3-D models of the patient's lung anatomy, the Monarch Platform provides physicians with continuous bronchoscope vision throughout the entire procedure.

To learn more about the nationally recognized robotic surgery team at Mon Health Medical Center, visit monhealth.com/main/robotic-surgery.