Robotic technology takes aim at lung cancer

An innovation now available at Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital holds promise to fight lung cancer.

The goal of the Auris Health Monarch Platform, a novel technology that allows minimally invasive access deep inside the lungs to obtain a tissue sample for biopsy, is to enable earlier and more-accurate diagnosis of lung nodules.

The technology integrates the latest advancements in robotids, software, data science and endoscopy (the use of small cameras). Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital is among the first hospitals in the United States to install the platform, which was recently cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

“This is a significant new piece of technology that will change the landscape of lung-cancer diagnosis and treatment,” said Dr. Benjamin J. Seides, director of Interventional Pulmonology at Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital. “Robotic-assisted bronchoscopy allows us to view and take sample tissue from areas deep in the lung that previously were only accessible via more invasive methods.”

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 own lung anatomy, the Monarch Platform provides physicians with continuous bronchoscope vision throughout the entire procedure.

“When a spot on the lung is detected via imaging, patients want to know as quickly as possible if it is serious and what the next steps are,” Seides said. “Our goal is to obtain as much diagnostic information as possible in one procedure. For many patients, this technology helps us reduce waiting time for diagnosis and treatment.”

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide, in part because it has no symptoms in its early stages. The U.S. Preventative Services Task Force recommends annual screening for lung cancer with low-dose computed tomography (CT) in adults aged 55 to 80 years who have a 30-pack per year smoking history and currently smoke or have quit within the past 15 years.

CT scanning has been proven to save lives by detecting cancer earlier when it is more treatable and survivable. However, CT screening also picks up many incidental nodules that are of unclear significance, but are nevertheless cause for anxiety in many patients.

“Many nodules are in difficult-to-reach locations, so the patient and provider must make the tough choice of undergoing invasive sampling versus monitoring,” Seides said. “The Monarch platform makes many of these nodules safe and accessible to biopsy.”

Invasive sampling procedures include transthoracic needle aspiration, in which a large needle is inserted into the lung tissue using CT or ultrasound guidance. While the procedure is safe, there is a risk of pneumothorax (collapsed lung), bleeding or infection.

“With robotic technology we can quickly and safely biopsy difficult-to-reach lung nodules to determine whether or not the nodule is cancerous, while at the same time obtaining staging information, frequently on the same day as the procedure,” Seides said. “This is a revolutionary technology that reduces invasiveness while accelerating time to diagnosis and treatment for our patients.”

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