Memorial Hermann Southeast is the first and only hospital in South Houston to offer a new bronchoscopy technology that improves the ability to detect and treat lung cancer at earlier stages and in areas that are generally difficult to access. This breakthrough technology is known as iLogic™ Electromagnetic Navigation Bronchoscopy™ (ENB).
"Lung cancer is the number one cause of death from cancer each year in both men and women. Electromagnetic navigation bronchoscopy will help diagnose patients quicker and therefore, help treat the problem more effectively" said Kyle Price, Chief Operating Officer at Memorial Hermann Southeast. "This provides a promising new approach for detecting lung diseases."
The ENB technology enables physicians to locate, test, and plan treatment for lung lesions and lymph nodes, even before symptoms are evident. Electromagnetic bronchoscope can be used to sample multiple sites in the lung to permit more accurate diagnosis, as well as determine the extent of the disease - something that is rarely possible with needle biopsy.
Theodore Yang, MD, is a radiation oncologist with Memorial Hermann Cancer Center-Southeast. He said that given the lack of a good screening tool for lung cancer, ENB is a major breakthrough that makes possible the early detection and treatment of lung cancer. He also notes that marking the tumor will reduce the larger radiation field previously required to allow for the tumor's movement when patients breathe.
"By placing a small fiducial marker, or seed, into the tumor, we can track its movement in real time during treatment, thereby reducing normal lung exposure," said Yang.
The ENB diagnostic procedure is performed on an outpatient basis and takes approximately 30 minutes. The patients are observed after treatment until they are awake enough to return home. The most common risk is pneumothorax (collapsed lung), which occurs in two to three percent of patients.
For more information, e-mail Cynthia.Chatelain@memorialhermann.org with any questions you might have regarding our new diagnostic bronchoscopy capabilities with the ENB system.