MemorialCare Cancer Institute uses first-of-its-kind robotic navigated bronchoscopy for greater precision and accuracy.
MemorialCare Cancer Institute’s Lung Cancer Program at Saddleback Medical Center is one of just four hospitals in California equipped with the recently FDA-cleared robotic navigated bronchoscopy system. This new device from NoahMed, Galaxy System, uses integrated tomosynthesis (3D mammography) to navigate to and locate lung nodules, which are small masses in the lungs often tested for cancer.
This improved visualization, along with a disposable bronchoscope, enhances precision and accuracy beyond the capabilities of existing technologies. It gives physicians access to often hard-to-reach lesions in the outer third of the lung which are often hard to biopsy. The Galaxy System can biopsy nodules smaller than 2cm, while receiving real-time lesion location updates.
Lung cancer is an insidious disease causing far too high a toll on our communities, the Galaxy System gives physicians trained on the device a clear, direct path to improving patient diagnosis and, in turn, treatment –allowing us to catch lung cancer before it reaches less treatable, advanced stages. This new technology gives hope and peace of mind to our patients.
Jayne Stewart, executive director,
MemorialCare Cancer Institute,
MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center
Lung cancer is the second most common cancer in the United States and the leading cause of cancer deaths in the country. Still, it can be difficult for physicians to properly find and biopsy lung nodules, delaying diagnosis and complicating treatment. The Galaxy System’s “Tool-in-Lesion” TiLT+Technology has been shown to achieve 100% successful navigation to a lesion, 100% diagnostic yield (every diagnostic test performed accurately identified the presence or absence of cancer), and 95% tool-in-lesion accuracy (Galaxy accurately reached the target lesion) according to the recent MATCH study publication.
With its always-on-camera bronchoscope, direct visualization is enabled for the entire procedure, including the time of biopsy. The Galaxy System is the only robotic navigated bronchoscopy system on the market with a single-use, disposable bronchoscope, intentionally designed to improve efficiency and workflow and reduce the risk of cross-contamination.
“This technology lets us see lung tissue clearly during biopsy and check areas that were hard to reach before,” says Liz Acord, vice president, clinical integration, MemorialCare Cancer Institute. “This means we can find cancer earlier and save more lives. At MemorialCare Cancer Institute, we continuously invest in advanced technology to catch and treat cancer early.”
MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center offers the latest in technology in lung navigation bronchoscopy to provide earlier diagnosis with greater confidence. Five doctors have been trained on this device, with four having completed cases. The Lung Program at Saddleback Medical Center provides a multidisciplinary team of highly skilled specialists who collaborate to design targeted, customized treatment plans for each patient, giving them access to specialists well beyond one aspect of their cancer.