Philips speeds up diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer
Philips has introduced the Azurion Lung Edition, an advanced 3D imaging and navigation platform to accelerate the diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer. The suite combines CT-like 3D images acquired at the tableside with live X-ray guidance and advanced tools to support image-guided lung procedures. The system is designed specifically for bronchoscopy procedures, enabling clinicians to perform both minimally invasive endobronchial biopsies and lesion ablation during the same procedure. According to Philips, its new solution will dramatically improve outcomes and reduce costs of lung cancer care.
Today, over 60 percent of lung cancer patients are diagnosed at a late stage, with a small chance of a surgical cure. But thanks to a rise in the number of lung cancer screening programs and increasing patient awareness, a growing proportion of patients have small peripheral lesions that are operable. Fast diagnosis and treatment, therefore, is critical to ensure better outcomes.
“This is a very exciting time in the world of interventional pulmonology and advanced bronchoscopy,” said Michael Pritchett, pulmonary and critical care physician at the Firsthealth Moore Regional Hospital, based in North Carolina. “One of the things that we’re particularly excited about is being able to diagnose patients, stage their cancer and treat them, all in a single procedure. As a diagnostic bronchoscopist, it’s exciting and rewarding to be able not only to diagnose patients but to go on to treat them as well.”