In California, a new robot has been introduced to assist doctors in diagnosing cancer patients more efficiently, specifically for bronchoscopy procedures. The robot was adopted by a local medical center in Burlingame with the aim of streamlining doctors’ work, improving diagnoses and facilitating sample collection from tumors in hard-to-reach areas.
The robot is expected to speed up the diagnosis process for patients who show concerning signs during screening, such as suspicious lumps. By assisting doctors in locating and biopsy-ing difficult nodules, the robot aims to improve patient prognosis by catching cancer at an earlier stage. Doctors can navigate the lungs using a virtual map created from CT scans, allowing them to safely take samples while monitoring the catheter’s progress in real-time.
American Ph.D. Alexander Zider tested the robot on three patients and believes it will become a standard tool in lung cancer diagnosis. He hopes it will alleviate anxiety in patients waiting for accurate diagnoses, especially those with worrisome nodules. Lung cancer is a significant cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States and is among the most common types of cancer in Finland. While localized lung cancer can be treated effectively, prognosis for widespread cases remains poor.
