SPOKANE, Wash, – Lung cancer kills more people than any other cancers. According to Dr. Ben Arthurs with MultiCare, the earlier you catch it, the more likely a patient is to survive.
Dr. Arthurs says this new technology makes it easier to identify lung cancer early on, then treat it before it gets bigger.
The new tech is called the Ion Robotic Assisted Navigation Bronchoscopy Tool, or the IRANBT for short. Dr. Arthurs says it operates much like a video game where the doctor can drive a little camera through a patient’s lungs and identify anything that should not be there.
This new tech can move in any direction and has the strength to resist certain amounts of pressure if pushed in the wrong direction.
Dr. Arthur says this tool gives MultiCare a lot of confidence in reaching small spots in difficult locations in the lungs. In the past, doctors would wait for a potential cancer to grow enough to sample. Now Dr. Arthur says they will not have to.
The IRANBT also allows doctors to spot multiple cancers at once, which Dr. Arthur says is not always possible with other detection methods.
Dr. Arthurs says MultiCare has been using this technology on the public since June of this year.
Stats from MultiCare about lung cancer and smoker numbersSpokane County % of Smokers (2020 – 10.3%, 2021 – 12.4%, 2022 – 11.9%) These numbers, with the exception of 2020, are above the state numbers.
In general, the earlier that lung cancer is diagnosed, the more likely that treatments will be effective and improve chances of survival. Nationally, only 26.6% of cases are caught early when the five-year survival rate is much higher (63%). Unfortunately, most cases (44%) are not caught until a late stage when the survival rate is only 8%.
MultiCare advice on what you can do to prevent lung cancer.
