2023 ISMICS Scientific Meeting Recap

Jay Salazar, Director of Product Strategy, and Dr. Richard Fischel, Chief Medical Officer and Co-Founder, attended ISMICS 2023 in Boston. Here are their three main takeaways from the conference:

The Rise of Segmentectomy  

As the need for reducing adjacent tissue removal during surgical resection increases based on recent findings suggesting that sublobar resections are non-inferior to lobar resection for disease free survival NEJM, there has been a recent surge in the adoption of segmentectomy for lung cancer diagnosis and treatment. Localization and confirmation of small-size tumors and a clear understanding of the segmental anatomy can still present challenges for widespread acceptance, but there seems to be rising approval for adoption of less invasive, lung sparing surgical procedures.

Bronchoscopy For Localization of Lung Nodules

Inaccurate identification and localization of tumors before MIS resection can lead to longer procedure times and, in some cases, excess tissue removal. Dr. James Shahoud, Allegheny General, Dr. Luis Godoy, UC Davis, and Dr. Jane Zhao, OSU, have begun to utilize robotic assisted bronchoscopy to navigate to peripheral tumors and utilize fluorescent dye to mark the tumor for surgical resection, streamlining patient care and increasing the precision and the likelihood of an accurate segmentectomy.

Treatment Options in the Era of Lung Cancer Screening

With the data published by NLST showing a 20% reduction in lung cancer mortality for patients that undergo annual screening, there has been an uptick in annual screening and the number of small-sized tumors detected. Depending on the probability of malignancy, determined by a combination of patient risk factors and tumor characteristics, not all small tumors are resected and can lead to later interventions. Removing the uncertainty associated with a tumor presented for surgical resection could open the door for improved treatment options.

After attending the conference, Jay Salazar said, "The increased adoption of segmentectomy, the use of bronchoscopy for accurate lung nodule localization, and the increased detection of small tumors all directly resonate with our mission to build the future of less invasive, early intervention in lung cancer."