McLaren Flint, part of McLaren Health Care and the statewide Karmanos Cancer Network, has expanded its offerings and enhanced its abilities to detect and diagnose lung cancer during its earliest stages.
With the addition of the Ion platform, a minimally invasive and robotic-assisted bronchoscope procedure, physicians can view deeper into the lungs and biopsy smaller, previously unreachable suspicious nodules in the peripheral tissue, allowing them to accurately diagnose if the nodule is benign or cancerous and begin treatment before the disease begins to advance.
“McLaren Flint was the first hospital in the region to offer da Vinci robotic technology nearly 25 years ago,” said Chris Candela, McLaren Flint President and CEO. “Today, Ion is an example of how we continue partnering with the physicians on our medical staff to offer life-changing care to our patients.”
One of the most common forms of cancer worldwide, more than 90 percent of lung cancer patients do not survive the disease, in part because cases are diagnosed in an advanced stage. More than 70 percent of lung cancer cases originate in the peripheral tissue.
“The early stages of lung cancer do not typically present with symptoms, which is one of the reasons it’s the leading cause of worldwide cancer deaths,” said Dr. Justin Klamerus, McLaren Health Care Executive Vice President and Chief Clinical Officer. “With this technology’s ability to biopsy the deep tissue of the lungs, this holds the potential to allow us to diagnose cases earlier, and we’re excited to be able to offer this measure of hope to our patients.”
The technology integrates with McLaren Flint’s advanced imaging capabilities to create a 3D model of the patient’s specific lung anatomy, assisting the physician’s navigation. Guided by the physician, the Ion’s thin and maneuverable catheter is directed to the nodule for biopsy.
Part of the Karmanos Cancer Network, the Karmanos Cancer Institute at McLaren Flint is the region’s leading provider of cancer care, providing patients with access to advanced diagnostic, treatments, surgeries, and clinical trials to bolster their fight against cancer.
Learn more about all services provided at McLaren Flint at mclaren.org/flint.
About McLaren Flint
McLaren Flint is a 378 bed tertiary teaching facility located in Flint, Michigan. McLaren Flint is affiliated with Michigan State University (MSU) College of Human Medicine in its medical and surgical residency programs, including family practice, internal medicine, general surgery, and orthopedic surgery. McLaren Flint also maintains fellowship programs in clinical health psychology, vascular surgery, minimally invasive surgery and cardiology in partnership with MSU. The hospital is certified as a Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence, a Gold Plus Comprehensive Stroke Center (Joint Commission), and a BCBSM Blue Distinction Center+ for Spine Surgery, Cardiac Care and OB services. Cancer accreditations include the American College of Radiology Radiation Oncology Practice Accreditation and the Quality Oncology Practice Initiative, American Society of Clinical Oncology. Learn more at
mclaren.org/flint.
About McLaren Health Care
McLaren Health Care, headquartered in Grand Blanc, Michigan, is a $6.6 billion, fully integrated health care delivery system committed to quality, evidence-based patient care and cost efficiency. The McLaren system includes 13 hospitals in Michigan, ambulatory surgery centers, imaging centers, a 490-member employed primary and specialty care physician network, commercial and Medicaid HMOs covering more than 732,838 lives in Michigan and Indiana, home health, infusion and hospice providers, pharmacy services, a clinical laboratory network and a wholly owned medical malpractice insurance company. McLaren operates Michigan’s largest network of cancer centers and providers, anchored by the Karmanos Cancer Institute, a National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer centers in the U.S. McLaren has 28,000 full-, part-time and contracted employees and more than 113,000 network providers throughout Michigan, Indiana and Ohio. Learn more at mclaren.org.