Lake Cumberland Regional Hospital Launches Incidental Lung Nodule Program to Promote Early Diagnosis of Lung Cancer

Lake Cumberland Regional Hospital (LCRH), a part of Lifepoint Health, is pleased to announce its Incidental Lung Nodule Program, which utilizes robotic technology for earlier lung cancer diagnosis.

The procedure, known as robotic-assisted bronchoscopy, can help physicians quickly determine if a nodule is cancerous and allows for diagnosing and removing a lung cancer mass during one surgery. A robotic bronchoscopy is an approach that can safely and quickly access lesions or nodules deeper in the lung, near major blood vessels, or a portion of an already diseased lung.

The robotic-assisted bronchoscopy procedure utilizes the Ion Endoluminal Platform by Intuitive. The artificial intelligence (AI) cutting-edge system creates a 3D map of the patient’s lungs using a CT scan. The software then generates the safest and most efficient route through the lung to the nodule or mass. Once the route is determined, an ultrathin and ultra-maneuverable catheter is guided to the lung nodule or mass site, where it is marked and biopsied with precision and stability. The samples are then evaluated on-site.

If the lung nodule is determined to be early-stage cancer, the surgical team uses the same navigational route to mark the area with dye to prepare for its removal. Then, the patient, still asleep, has a second robotic procedure to remove the lung cancer on the same day. Any patient with a suspicious pulmonary nodule is a candidate for robotic bronchoscopy, with the final determination dependent on the level of suspicion of lung cancer, size of the nodule, and proximity to the edge of the lung.

The robotic bronchoscopy system is part of Lake Cumberland Regional Hospital’s Lung Nodule Program, which also offers low-dose CT lung screening for proactive identification and treatment of at-risk patients.

“The Incidental Lung Program is set up to alert our team if a lung nodule – a small, abnormal lesion or spot has been detected incidentally during a scan ordered by a physician or other specialist looking for something else,” explains Rhee Perry, Chief Operating Officer at Lake Cumberland Regional Hospital. “We use AI software called Eon to assist in the analysis and reporting of these findings automatically. This process is best practice, and we are seeing these clinics pop up across the country.”

With the incidental lung nodule program, Automated AI software will scan for potential cancerous nodules. Then once nodules are identified, a dedicated patient navigator will contact patients to offer personalized care with a multidisciplinary team.

“We are very excited about this leading-edge technology,” states Dr. Sandra Schuldheisz, Lake Cumberland Regional Hospital pulmonologist. “It greatly enhances our ability to identify even the smallest lesions, which is key to improving health outcomes, especially with a disease like lung cancer. It’s taking interventional pulmonology to a whole new level, enabling us to treat our patients in the best way possible.”

“We’re thrilled to bring this innovative technology to our community and further enhance the level of quality and care we provide our patients,” shared Robert Parker, Chief Executive Officer at Lake Cumberland Regional Hospital.

Lake Cumberland Regional Hospital recently underwent construction for two new bronchoscopy suites to perform these procedures, which were completed at the end of June 2023. The new operating suites are fully equipped with advanced diagnostic technologies.

Dr. Sandra Schuldheisz successfully performed the first navigational bronchoscopy procedure at Lake Cumberland Regional Hospital on Wednesday, June 28^th.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the US, and studies show that early detection is key. To learn more about our lung program or to take a free lung health assessment, visit LakeCumberlandHospital.com/lung.