Lifesaving tech: Lung cancer caught early with AI assist at Tavares' AdventHealth Waterman

Spunky performer Kate Micucci played Lucy on eight episodes of CBS' "The Big Bang Theory" and is the Oates half of the funny folk duo Garfunkel and Oates (with Riki Lindhome), but, lately, Micucci has been in the public eye for another reason: sharing her experiences with lung cancer at age 43.

"It’s pretty weird because I’ve never smoked a cigarette in my life so it was a surprise, but also I guess it happens," she said in her self-dubbed "SickTok" video.

Thankfully, it wasn't all doom and gloom: "The greatest news is they caught it early, they got it out, I’m all good."

Just "a very small number" of cases are diagnosed in people younger than 45, according to the American Cancer Society. The disease is the leading cause of cancer death in the U.S. Micucci's was found because of an abnormality in her bloodwork.

That isn't always the case. Most early stage lung cancers go undetected, but AI technology is emerging to rectify the medical establishment's blind spots when it comes to early lung cancer detection.

A first in Lake County, AdventHealth Waterman is providing a new minimally invasive, robotic-assisted surgery to help diagnose lung cancer in its earlier stages.

The wonder tech that allows for this much-needed breakthrough? It's called the Ion Endoluminal System by Intuitive, and it enables doctors to locate and remove tissue samples from deep within the lung, where they are often challenging to pinpoint.

“This new technology is a great improvement for biopsies in the lung, a critical step in diagnosing lung cancer,” said Dr. J. Ryan Schroeder, a pulmonologist at AdventHealth Waterman, in a press release.

“With Ion and our advanced imaging capabilities, we can go after smaller lung nodules than ever before, leading to an earlier diagnosis of lung cancer, which leads to better outcomes.”

Using an ultra-thin, highly maneuverable catheter, the Ion system provides physicians with a 180-degree range of movement, giving them access to hard-to-reach airways and lung segments.

According to AdventHealth, patients undergoing procedures with the Ion system experience faster recovery times than traditional methods, with most patients returning home the same day.

This state-of-the-art technology represents a $1 million investment in the community’s cancer care and adds to AdventHealth Waterman’s portfolio of robotic-assisted surgical technologies, including the da Vinci surgical system and Mako.

Robotic-assisted procedures can provide better precision for our surgeons, smaller incisions, fewer complications, and shorter hospital stays, research says, and AdventHealth Waterman's media statement tells us that the Ion technology is particularly important in Lake County because the community has elevated rates of lung cancer and higher rates of late-stage diagnoses than the rest of Florida.

Designated as a Lung Cancer Screening of Excellence by the American College of Radiology, AdventHealth Waterman offers a fast-track program for patients with lung masses or nodules, which gives expedited diagnosis and treatment options.

In Florida, the Ion technology is also available at AdventHealth Daytona Beach, AdventHealth Orlando and AdventHealth Wesley Chapel.

This article originally appeared on Daily Commercial: Robotics assist Tavares docs in detecting early signs of lung cancer