Community Support Brings Lifesaving Technology to the Region

posted on: 1/16/2017 3:01:07 PM

LMHS Introduces New Lung Cancer Diagnostic Equipment

Today, Lima Memorial Health System introduced innovative technology to the region that will greatly impact the fight against lung cancer. The $500,000 investment in revolutionary diagnostic lung cancer technology was made possible through the support of businesses and individuals to the Lima Memorial Foundation.

Lung cancer is the second most common cancer in both men and women. Most often, lung cancer is diagnosed when symptoms are present. At this point, the cancer is at an advanced stage with a five-year survival rate of only 15 percent. Each year, more people die from lung cancer than of colon, breast and prostate cancers combined. Finding lung cancer early dramatically improves survival rates.

With the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services recent adoption of lung cancer screenings for high-risk individuals, suspicious lung nodules can be detected at their earliest state. This makes it especially critical to provide minimally invasive diagnostic options to diagnose the abnormalities so patients can receive needed treatment sooner and have better chances of long-term survival. 

Thanks to community support, Lima Memorial now offers these minimally invasive diagnostic options. Electromagnetic navigation bronchoscopy (ENB) similar to GPS (Global Positioning System) technology and creates a three-dimensional virtual “roadmap” of the lungs from the patient’s CT-scan. This enables the physician to navigate a unique set of catheters to the outer most areas of the lungs, areas that previously were unreachable through traditional techniques. This minimally-invasive procedure additionally allows the physician to obtain a biopsy for definitive diagnosis for the patient.

Additionally, endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS) procedures will be available at Lima Memorial. The EBUS technology is a hybrid, employing ultrasound guidance with bronchoscopy, enabling a real-time transbronchial needle aspiration to be performed. This combination aids in the diagnosis and staging of lung cancer. Using EBUS, biopsies are performed through the trachea using ultrasound rather than surgical incisions that must be made in other, more invasive procedures.

“This revolutionary technology is a significant advancement for aiding in the diagnosis of lung cancer and overcomes limitations of traditional diagnostic approaches, including bronchoscopy, needle biopsy and surgery,” said Dr. Sarat Kuchipudi, Pulmonologist with Lima Memorial Pulmonary and Sleep Center. “Early diagnosis leads to early treatment, which ultimately leads to saving lives.”

For more information, visit limamemorial.org/healthfirst.