World’s First Non-Invasive Robotic-Assisted Bronchoscope to Profit Sufferers With Lung Metastasis

When most cancers cells metastasize from malignant tumors in numerous components of the human physique, they usually switch to the lungs. The primary therapy modality for lung metastases is surgical resection. Eradicating these tumors utilizing conventional surgical procedure not solely will increase trauma, however can inadvertently take away adjoining wholesome lung tissue and diminish a affected person’s lung perform.

The Chinese language College of Hong Kong’s (CUHK) School of Drugs has carried out the world’s first process utilizing the novel robotic-assisted bronchoscopic microwave ablation to efficiently take away lung metastases.

This superior expertise can precisely and noninvasively take away tumors across the lungs, together with peripheral areas, whereas sustaining the affected person’s lung perform by defending wholesome surrounding tissue. There are not any surgical wounds required, and most sufferers expertise no ache or blood loss.

For these with advanced-stage metastatic most cancers of the lung, this expertise might be a game-changer.

The noninvasive process is carried out by educated thoracic surgeons who use a sophisticated navigation platform to regulate the bronchoscope earlier than precisely placing a catheter probe for ablation into the place of the lung switch tissue. The method releases microwave power to destroy lesion tissues.

Dr. Rainbow Lau Wing-hung, medical assistant professor of CUHK’s division of cardiothoracic surgical procedure, defined how the expertise makes use of real-time imaging and electromagnetic positioning to permit navigation of the advanced human airways. The bronchoscope is managed utilizing a distant console linked with robotic arms, permitting the flexibility to precisely drive the machine to the precise location desired throughout the lung.

The mechanism maintains stability throughout the bronchoscope. Utilizing a microwave ablation catheter will enhance the accuracy and effectivity of the ablation process, he mentioned.

Calvin Ng Sze-hang, a professor from the division of cardiothoracic surgical procedure at CUHK, remarked:

“We’re very excited to have carried out the world’s first robotic-assisted bronchoscopy microwave ablation of lung metastases. By combining the advantages of exact airway navigation with robotic bronchoscopy and our world-leading expertise in transbronchial microwave ablation of lung tumours, we will now give our sufferers with lung metastases an extra therapy choice which is noninvasive.

“Usually, superior most cancers sufferers have a number of lung metastases distributed all through each lungs. Below these circumstances, therapy by standard surgical resection entails bilateral surgical incisions and removing of a number of wedges of lung tissue that may considerably have an effect on the affected person’s lung perform, and will even result in delay in administration of chemotherapy because the affected person recovers from surgical procedure. Our novel strategy utilizing robotic bronchoscopic microwave ablation permits a number of bilateral lung metastases to be handled with out incisions or lung resection, that means nearly no influence on affected person’s lung perform or high quality of life.”

Since October 2022, three sufferers with six lung metastases have been efficiently handled. The expertise remains to be within the medical trial section, with the intent to enroll 145 circumstances globally.