MEU supports Wythenshawe Hospital’s revolutionary “Ion Endoluminal System”

MEU is delighted to support the funding of a pioneering procedure in early lung cancer diagnosis at Wythenshawe Hospital, which has become one of the first hospitals in Europe to use the revolutionary “Ion Endoluminal System”.

Through its donations to the North West Lung Centre, alongside donations from the Manchester Foundation Trust Charity, MEU has helped to support the adoption of this state-of-the-art robotic tool which lets doctors detect the disease in its earliest stages.

Currently, diagnosing lung cancer and starting treatment can be difficult because small lung nodules are often hard to reach using traditional biopsy methods. Patients with suspected lung cancer may have to spend months of “watchful waiting” when difficult-to-reach nodules are monitored with scans but have to be allowed to grow until they are large enough to be tested.

However, the new Ion system has a thin robotic catheter that allows doctors to quickly and accurately reach even the deepest and hardest-to-reach areas of the lungs. The system has now been used to take biopsies in the first patients with suspected lung cancer.

Dr Haval Balata, Respiratory Physician and Clinical Lead for the Ion service at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, said that the new robot would transform how the service could treat patients as they could
start treatment, or be given the all-clear, months earlier than currently maybe the case.

He said: “Having this new innovative technology available for our patients to access is game changing. As we have continued to successfully expand our Lung Health Check programme, we are diagnosing lung cancers at a much earlier stage when the lesions are very small and difficult to biopsy.

“I’m immensely proud of our team and the trust for being one of the first centres in Europe to offer this service to their patients. Having the ability to offer patients the latest in technological advancements that enhance their care and clinical outcomes is extremely fulfilling for the team. We all very much look forward to establishing this service for patients across the region over coming weeks and months.

“It’s also important to say how grateful we are to both the Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust and Northwest Lung Centre charities for supporting us in making this happen.”

Regarding MEU’s support through its donation to The North West Lung Centre, Dr Balata stated “I’m very grateful to the MEU for the support, we couldn’t deliver this without you.”

Read more about MEU and The North West Lung Centre: https://meu.org.uk/the-north-west-lung-centre-charity/