hen caught early, lung cancer can often be successfully treated. The problem, however, is that there typically aren’t any symptoms in its early stages. That makes the early detection of lung cancer all the more important.
One way to achieve this is by screening those who are at high risk for lung cancer (people over age 50 who smoked one pack of cigarettes per day for 20 years or half a pack per day for 40 years) with an annual low-dose computed tomography (CT) scan.
If the CT scan finds an abnormality in a patient’s lungs, a bronchoscopy is generally recommended. During this common procedure, a doctor guides a thin tube equipped with a light and camera (bronchoscope) through the patient’s mouth or nose and into the lungs to obtain a tissue sample.
But there have been advances. Today, Yale Medicine physicians use a new form of technology called “robotic bronchoscopy,” which allows them to better reach smaller parts of the lungs. During a robotic bronchoscopy, the doctor uses a controller at a console to operate a robotic arm, which then guides the bronchoscope’s thin, flexible tube through the airways.
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