AHN Pulmonology: Bringing Hope to Lung Cancer Patients with Advanced Testing and Treatment Closer to Home

For patients with lung cancer and other pulmonary conditions, two things are extremely important when it comes to care — early detection and treatment close to home.

Under the AHN Medicine Institute, our Pulmonology Program at Allegheny General Hospital was the first in the region to use the Ion Robotic Bronchoscopy method for early diagnosis of lung cancer in 2021. Since then, we’ve expanded this technology to four more AHN locations in an unwavering effort to provide better outcomes for more people across western Pennsylvania.

Catching cancer early

Lung cancer is still the leading cause of cancer deaths, but effective screening and early detection can decrease a person’s chance of dying by 20%.*Early detection allows treatment to start sooner, significantly improving survival rates.

The five-year survival rate in early lung cancer is overall excellent — usually around 90%. On the contrary, stage IV lung cancer has a very poor five-year survival rate, which can sometimes be close to 0%.**

Early detection made possible with robotics

The Ion Endoluminal System is a state-of-the-art robotic-assisted bronchoscopy technology that helps diagnose lung cancer at its earliest and most treatable stages.

AHN Pulmonologist, Giath Shari, MD, says that historically the lung is a difficult organ to biopsy, but the Ion Robotic Bronchoscopy has been a “game changer” — offering benefits like:

• Drastically improved accuracy.
• Ability to confirm a cancer diagnosis and identify its stage.
• Ability to start treatment sooner since there is no patient recovery time.
• Ability to perform multiple biopsies at one time.
• No skin incision.
• Low risk of complication.
• Time savings (procedure takes less than two hours).

Accessible care

Since traditional biopsy methods often involve a procedure and recovery time for the patient, Dr. Shari says that bringing the robotic bronchoscopy closer to home for many people has elicited an overwhelming response.

The Ion Robotic Bronchoscopy is available at five convenient locations across western Pennsylvania, including Erie:

Allegheny General Hospital

320 East North Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15212

AHN Forbes Hospital

2570 Haymaker Road
Monroeville, PA 15146

AHN Jefferson Hospital

565 Coal Valley Road
Jefferson Hills, PA 15025

AHN Saint Vincent Hospital

232 West 25th Street
Erie, PA 16544

AHN Wexford Hospital

12351 Perry Hwy
Wexford, PA 15090

A multidisciplinary approach to pulmonology

When it comes to treating cancer or any pulmonary disease, AHN experts across specialties work together to discuss findings and determine the appropriate next steps for each patient’s unique case. There is a team of experts behind each decision and treatment plan providing the highest quality care.

The AHN Lung Cancer Program is comprised of experts in:

1. Oncology.
2. Radiation oncology.
3. Thoracic surgery.
4. Pulmonology.
5. Interventional pulmonology.
6. Radiology.

The AHN Pulmonology Program offers:

1. Comprehensive care for multiple lung conditions such as obstructive lung diseases, interstitial lung diseases, and lung cancer.
2. Several advanced treatment and testing options across the spectrum of pulmonary diseases.
3. Patient access to lung cancer coordinators and other care management staff.
4. Provider access to “Tumor Board” meeting findings, where AHN doctors across specialties present their patient cases and discuss the best treatment methods, often combining treatments across disciplinaries.

How to refer:

If you notice anything abnormal on your patient’s CT scan or other testing, don’t wait to refer them to the AHN pulmonology specialists. Call 412-DOCTORS and ask to be referred to Pulmonology.

AHN also hosts free screening events for eligible individuals (age 50-80 with a 20 pack-year history of smoking). Patients or physicians can call 412-359-6665 to learn more.

*Source: Facts about lung cancer. LungCancerResearchFoundation.org

**Source: Overall survival by pathologic stage according to the seventh edition (A) and the eighth edition (B) groupings using the entire database available for the eighth edition.