Precision Meets Possibility: SIH Introduces Ion® Robotic Technology for Earlier Lung Cancer Detection

SIH achieved another milestone in advanced robotic medicine back in October as pulmonologist Dr. Gurpreet Bambra performed the region’s first Ion® robotic-assisted bronchoscopy procedures at SIH Memorial Hospital of Carbondale. SIH is now the only health system to offer this cutting-edge diagnostic technology in southernmost Illinois, which enables physicians to reach small, hard-to-access lung nodules with unmatched precision.

For Southern Illinois, where smoking rates and lung cancer incidence are above state and national averages, this innovation has profound impact. “Early detection means early survival,” said Dr. Bambra. “When lung cancer is found at stage 1, the five-year survival rate is about 85 percent. By stage 3 or 4, that number drops to single digits. Ion helps us find and diagnose disease much sooner, when treatment is most effective.”

Lung cancer is often symptom-free until it reaches advanced stages. For years, SIH has led a two-part approach to earlier diagnosis—starting with low-dose CT screening, followed by endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS) for lymph-node assessment. The Ion® system represents the third advancement, allowing specialists to navigate deep within the lung to biopsy nodules that would otherwise require riskier, more invasive procedures.

Unlike CT-guided biopsies performed through the chest wall, the Ion® approach is minimally invasive, performed under anesthesia and allows most patients to return home the same day. “It’s done entirely inside the airway, which greatly reduces the risk of bleeding or lung collapse,” Dr. Bambra said. “And importantly, the physician—not the robot—is always in control.”

 “Until now, patients often had to travel to St. Louis or beyond for this level of diagnostic care,” Dr. Bambra noted. “Having the Ion here eliminates that burden. It keeps patients close to home, near their support systems, while giving them access to state-of-the-art technology.”