Robotic Bronchoscopy Makes a Big Difference

Catching lung cancer early can save lives. Statistics show the five-year survival rate for patients with localized lung cancer is almost 67% vs. about 12% for those with metastatic disease. But with about 1.6 million suspicious lung nodules identified by screening each year, diagnosing those cancers is a challenge.

Robotic bronchoscopy, which was approved by the FDA in 2019, provides clinicians with a less invasive and more precise approach to diagnosis. Researchers from the Mayo Clinic believe it has significantly improved their ability to diagnose more lung cancers at an early stage.

In a study representing the largest published cohort on robotic-assisted bronchoscopy to date, the authors found that the proportion of lung cancers diagnosed at an early stage increased from 46% in 2019 to nearly 69% by mid-2024.

The study involved 2,115 lung lesions from 1,904 patients who underwent shape-sensing robotic-assisted bronchoscopy and mobile cone-beam computed tomography. Results showed 85% sensitivity for malignancy and 76.9% accuracy, or a strict diagnostic yield, under newly standardized national criteria. The complication rate was 2.8%.

Diagnosis at advanced stages of the disease dropped from 54% in 2019 to 31% in 2024.

Overall, 56% of the lesions sampled were malignant, 21% were definitively benign, and 23% were nondiagnostic under strict criteria.

“Lung cancer survival depends heavily on early detection,” said lead author Sebastian Fernandez-Bussy, MD. “Technologies that allow us to diagnose and even treat disease earlier — and with fewer complications — can help improve survival.”

The study, published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings, was conducted at three Mayo Clinic facilities in Rochester, MN; Phoenix, AZ; and Jacksonville, FL. 

Highlighted in RC Buzz April 13, 2026