Expand / Collapse search
☰

New cutting-edge tech helps cure lung cancer at Lakeland Regional Health

By
Published  February 18, 2025 6:02pm EST
Lakeland
FOX 13 News

Lakeland Regional offers new lung care technology

FOX 13's Carla Bayron shares why this robotic advancement is more accurate and safer than ever before.

The Brief

    • Lakeland Regional Health is using a new cutting-edge technology called the ION robot to help cure lung cancer.
    • The robot allows doctors to reach the lesions at the edge of the lung and collect tissue samples they couldn’t reach before.
    • Doctors say the new procedure has a nearly 15% lower complication rate than alternative procedures, and that patients are far more comfortable during the new procedure.

LAKELAND, Fla. - Lakeland Regional Health is using new cutting-edge technology to help them cure lung cancer.

The ION robot being used to cure cancer at Lakeland Regional Health.

The ION robot being used to help cure lung cancer at Lakeland Regional Health.

Lung cancer can be a deadly disease, and the further it spreads, the more harmful it is.

Dig deeper:

The ION robot is the only one of its kind in Polk County. 

READ: Sheriffs Grady Judd, Bob Gualtieri tapped to advise Florida cabinet on immigration enforcement

Using a small catheter, doctors can navigate to the lesions at the edge of the lung to collect tissue samples that were previously unreachable.

"A nodule is a white spot on a CT scan which may be cancerous, an infection, or maybe inflammation, so instead of waiting for repeat scans in three months or six months and watching things grow, we can biopsy much earlier and get a treatment plan sooner," said Dr. Yatin Kheti, the head of pulmonary at Lakeland Regional Health. 

◀︎ ▶︎
Image 1 of 2
▼

A nodule, or a white spot, is shown on a typical CT scan that could be cancerous.  

Why you should care:

There are fewer complications and risks than the traditional method, which involves a CAT scan and a needle being stuck between the ribs into the lesions.

"The complication rate is a big deal, right, so 20% traditionally for a CT-guided biopsy, and for this procedure, it's less than 5%," said Kheti.

READ: Man arrested for murder months after coworker overdosed on fentanyl: TPD

Also, more patients are more comfortable and at ease as they have to be fully anesthetized.

Part of the ION robot at Lakeland Regional Health.

Mechanical arm used to navigate the ION robot through the lungs.

Kheti says Polk County has a very high smoking population, and the pulmonary clinic has a lot of referrals for lung nodules, so this technology will help save lives.

"We're really excited about this new technology that enables us to cure our patients of the cancer that's the most common cause of death in the United States among cancers," said Dr. Eric Lipson, a pulmonologist and lung specialist at the Watson Clinic in Lakeland.

What's next:

The hospital implemented the ION robot on Friday and has used it in five cases already.

The Source: FOX 13's Carla Bayron collected the information in this story.

Watch FOX 13 News:

    STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 13 TAMPA:

    LakelandCancerTechnology