New Tools Continue to Streamline Lung Cancer Detection and Treatment

When Albany Medical Center began using the Intuitive Ion Endoluminal System in 2023, it was the first hospital in the region to offer robotic-assisted bronchoscopy for earlier detection and treatment of lung cancer.

Using a CT scan, the Ion robot generates a 3D map of the patient’s lungs and identifies the safest and most efficient route for the system’s ultra-thin, ultra-maneuverable catheter to move through the lung to the suspicious nodule or mass, where it can be biopsied.

Because the system can navigate through tight spaces and narrow airways, even very small nodules can be biopsied using this technique. If cancer is found, it is often at an early stage, when treatment is more effective. In most cases, this early detection also eliminates the need for radiation or chemotherapy treatment.

Since 2023, interventional pulmonologist Nagendra Madisi, MD, and thoracic surgeon Brian Arnold, MD, have collectively used the robot on nearly 300 cases.

They’ve also added new tools to their arsenal to detect and treat lung cancer, including:

• Cone Beam CT: In use for more than a year at Albany Medical Center, with this scanning technique, x-rays form a cone shape to pinpoint the precise location of suspicious small nodules for biopsy.
• Cryobiopsy: A technique that uses super cold probes to freeze tissue, allowing larger tissue samples to be extracted. This technique can also be used in patients who are unable to undergo surgical biopsy.
• Fiducial Markers: Tiny, metal implants placed in or near tumors or nodules that show the suspicious area that should be treated or removed.

“Along with the Ion robot, we predominantly use cone beam CT for most of our procedures, but we also employ cryobiopsy to obtain adequate tissue samples and we use fiducial markers in select patients,” said Dr. Madisi, the only board certified interventional pulmonologist in the Capital Region. He also noted that Albany Med’s is the only program in the area that includes both an interventional pulmonologist and a thoracic surgeon.

For more information or to schedule an appointment, call 518-262-5196 (interventional pulmonology) or 518-262-5864 (thoracic surgery).