Detecting lung cancer early with advanced robotic bronchoscopy

Holly Humphrey may joke about always wanting to “be on the cover of a magazine,” but she never expected her moment of fame would come as one of the first Central Maine patients to have her lung cancer biopsied through a robotic bronchoscopy procedure.

As a self-employed hair dresser for the past 48 years, the 65-year-old Burnham resident said she “ingested a lot of things in my lungs over the years” through her occupation and also was a sometimes heavy smoker in the past. She eventually was diagnosed with emphysema, a lung condition in which the air sacs in the lungs are damaged, causing shortness of breath.

During a routine appointment, Toby Ostrov, PA-C, her primary care clinician at Four Seasons Family Practice, referred Humphrey for a Low-Dose CT (LDCT) scan for lung cancer in October because of her smoking history. That screening detected a small mass in the upper part of her lung, which led to an appointment with Dr. Arun Ranganath, who she had previously seen for her emphysema, to discuss obtaining a tissue sample to biopsy for cancer.

Dr. Ranganath, medical director for MaineGeneral Pulmonary and Critical Care, asked Humphrey if she would like to have her bronchoscopy done robotically, given the uniqueness of her medical condition and the availability of the technology.

“I asked him if it would be difficult to get to the mass because of my emphysema and he told me he would be able to navigate so much easier with the robot and that it would allow him to get to places he otherwise could not get to,” she said. “He was so confident that I just said ‘Let’s roll.’”

Humphrey had the procedure at the Alfond Center for Health (ACH) in early November and her biopsy confirmed that she had stage one lung cancer, which was treated through eight sessions of radiation therapy at the Harold Alfond Center for Cancer Care that ended in January. She will have another scan in July as a follow up to her treatment.

What is robotic bronchoscopy?

Robotic bronchoscopy is the latest technology to detect lung cancer in patients at earlier, more treatable stages. MaineGeneral Pulmonary began offering the minimally invasive, robot-assisted technique in November 2022.

MaineGeneral is the first health system in Maine to use this diagnostic tool, which provides great stability and precision in obtaining tissue samples. Combined with low-dose CT, robotic bronchoscopy is a powerful tool in diagnosing lung cancer early.

Thankful for technology and expert care

Hayley Bickford, Humphrey’s daughter who accompanied her to numerous appointments throughout the treatment process, offered high praise for MaineGeneral’s investment in the technology and those who use it.

“The procedure going well and having that technology as a tool is incredible, but the hands, brain and compassion behind it are also so important,” she said.

“Everyone who was involved in my care was fantastic and Dr. Ranganath is a great guy,” Humphrey added. “I feel extremely privileged, honored and fortunate to be the first of Dr. Ranganath’s patients to have this procedure.”

MaineGeneral is proud to provide patients with access to a complete set of services for state-of-the-art care, including diagnostic testing and treatment with specialists in thoracic surgery, medical and radiation oncology and interventional pulmonology, all on one campus

Learn more about robotic bronchoscopy and MaineGeneral’s lung cancer services.