An Ion endoluminal system from Intuitive is helping clinicians across Europe to diagnose and treat lung cancer earlier.

Clinicians across Europe and in the NHS have used Intuitive’s Ion endoluminal system to perform more than 10,000 robotic-assisted bronchoscopy procedures to support earlier lung cancer diagnosis. 

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in Europe, and around 480,000 people are diagnosed with the disease annually. Up to 70% of patients are diagnosed at a late stage when treatment options are limited, and survival rates are poor.

In the UK, around 49,000 people are diagnosed, and 33,000 die as a result of lung cancer annually. More than half of cases are diagnosed at a late stage of progression, when treatment options are more limited.

Intuitive’s Ion system has an ultra-thin, shape-sensing catheter that is designed to navigate deep into the lung. This can enable clinicians to access small, complex nodules and precisely position biopsy tools to sample potentially cancerous tissue with stability that is not available with manual bronchoscopy techniques.

A Europe-first multi-centre clinical study in 2025 found that Ion enables clinicians to safely and effectively reach and biopsy small nodules in difficult-to-access areas of the lung with a high rate of diagnostic accuracy.

At present, diagnosing lung cancer requires a biopsy of lung nodules, which are commonly found in tight spaces and narrow airways that may be hard to reach. Patients with suspected lung cancer can undergo long periods of watchful waiting, while their nodule is monitored with imaging but not definitively diagnosed by biopsy. This can cause patient anxiety and delay access to treatment options.

Important milestone

“Behind every procedure is someone seeking answers about a potentially life-changing diagnosis,” said Oliver Wagner, vice president and medical officer within the endoluminal division at Intuitive. “Through Ion, our aim is to help clinicians replace that uncertainty with a clear answer earlier, ultimately leading to better clinical outcomes for patients. Reaching 10,000 patients across Europe is an important milestone, reflecting the dedication of pioneering clinical teams who have adopted and integrated robotic-assisted bronchoscopy into their lung cancer pathways.”

In the NHS, clinical teams have integrated Ion into their lung cancer pathways to help provide patients with a clear diagnosis and earlier access to appropriate treatment.

“As lung screening programmes expand across Europe, more potential lung cancers are being detected,” said Dirk Barten, Intuitive’s commercial president for Europe. “With Ion, we remain focused on supporting clinicians to give their patients a clear diagnosis at the earliest possible stage, so they can access the right treatment sooner.”

There are more than 1,000 Ion systems installed in hospitals globally, Intuitive added. These have been used by clinicians to perform more than 140,000 lung biopsies in 2025.

Ion is part of Intuitive’s suite of robotic-assisted systems, including da Vinci surgical systems. Healthcare Today has recently reported on da Vinci 5 receiving CE mark approval for adult cardiac surgery in Europe.