According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), one in four cancer deaths are attributable to lung cancer. This is higher than the combined rate of deaths from breast, prostate, and colon cancers, according to ACS statistics. One factor driving these outcomes is the challenge of identifying and diagnosing small tumors within the lungs. Early detection and treatment are pivotal to a patient’s ability to survive.
In an effort to make it even easier and quicker for surgeons to diagnose lung cancer, this week Philips and Augusta University Health, announced a long-term partnership to co-create clinical solutions. The partnership centers around Augusta’s hybrid operating room (OR) which opened in May 2017. The hybrid OR combines multiple techniques into one space:
- Navigational bronchoscopy to locate tumors in a patient’s lungs
- Percutaneous biopsy to remove a small sections of a lesion to assess if it is cancerous
- Fiducial marker placement to identify the tumor and ensure the entire mass of the tumor is removed
- Video assisted thoracoscopic surgery, which uses a small video camera to operate within the patient’s chest cavity
- Intra-operative cone beam CT imaging to capture images inside the patient’s chest while performing all parts of the procedure
According to Dr. Carsten Schroeder, thoracic surgical oncologist at the Georgia Cancer Center and Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University, “The reasoning behind using the hybrid OR is to present a more efficient workup and treatment process to ultimately benefit patient survival. We can do that by shortening time from diagnosis to treatment while increasing cost-effectiveness and optimizing utilization.”
With the hybrid OR, patients can work through an entire care plan with their surgeon in one day. Previously, it could take up to six weeks just to receive a diagnosis followed by multiple subsequent appointments. Since opening the hybrid OR, Dr. Schroeder has collected data from 25 patients. His findings, published in Innovations: Technology and Techniques in Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery in August 2018, showed reduced time between diagnosis and curative treatment, as well as decreased upstaging, increased survival, and easier detection and resection of small and deep cancer lesions.
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