American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP) Guidelines
Jun 05, 2013
ST. LOUIS, MO – June 5, 2013 – Veran Medical Technologies, the electromagnetic navigation experts and original creator of Always-On Tip Tracked® instruments, announced today the launch of SPiNDrive® 2.0 software. Veran’s SPiNDrive 2.0 is an electromagnetic navigation platform that allows physicians to biopsy solitary pulmonary nodules for the potential early diagnosis of lung cancer.
Veran’s SPiNDrive technology is included in the new American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP) Guidelines for establishing the diagnosis of lung cancer. Lung cancer causes more deaths in men and women than colon, breast and prostate cancer combined1. If lung cancer is diagnosed at Stage III or IV, the five-year survival rate is only 15%2. With early detection, there is an 88% survival rate at ten years and a 92% survival rate with the immediate removal of the lesion3. Prior to the recent development of electromagnetic navigation, as recommended for use in ACCP guidelines, only 16% of lung cancer patients have been diagnosed at an early, localized stage3.
“Veran’s electromagnetic navigation technology is essential in the diagnosis of lung cancer at Jupiter Medical Center (JMC),” said Dr. K. Adam Lee, Thoracic Surgeon and Medical Director of Thoracic Surgery. “The SPiNDrive 2.0 technology has an unprecedented ease of use and the ability to utilize existing CT scans if desired. The ACCP specifically recommended this technology in the new lung cancer diagnosis guidelines, mentioning that EMN bronchoscopy shows potential for increasing the diagnostic yield of flexible bronchoscopy for peripheral lung cancers. This announcement confirms that JMC is on the leading edge of the next standard of care.”
Veran’s SPiNDrive® 2.0 platform still uses the original Always-On Tip Tracked® instruments with electromagnetic sensors used to navigate to the periphery of the bronchial tree, which was difficult to reach until now. The procedure may lead to the biopsy of a lesion or fiducial marker placement for the potential treatment of lung cancer.
“Detecting cancer at an earlier stage is saving lives,” said Jason Pesterfield, President and CEO of Veran Medical Technologies. “Veran is partnering with hospitals and physicians in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer at an earlier stage, reducing watchful waiting. We are excited that our technology is recommended in the ACCP’s new guidelines and that Veran is fundamental in the fight against cancer.”
Veran is a privately held medical device company headquartered in St. Louis, MO. The company’s mission is to empower physicians to diagnose cancer earlier and to enable precision therapy to save lives. In the United States, lung cancer kills more people each year than breast, prostate, pancreatic and colon cancers combined.
Veran has developed and commercialized an FDA cleared, next generation electromagnetic thoracic navigation platform called the SPiN Thoracic Navigation System®. Veran’s breakthrough technology has been adopted by leading cancer centers throughout the United States. Veran provides physicians with a full line of bronchoscopic brushes, needles, forceps and steerable catheters with tiny electromagnetic sensors embedded in the tips for precise navigation. The combination of these proprietary Always-On Tip Tracked® instruments and Veran’s exclusive patient respiratory gating technology enables physicians to accurately access lung nodules by accounting for nodule movement during patient breathing, a common challenge for lung specialists.
Another challenge lung specialists face is that approximately 40% of lung nodules lie outside of an airway, making them very difficult to reach endobronchially, and traditionally requiring an additional procedure. Veran’s SPiN Thoracic Navigation System® is the first and only FDA cleared technology that enables Pulmonologists or Thoracic Surgeons to safely and accurately access lung nodules outside of an airway using SPiN Perc®, a navigated transthoracic needle. With SPiN Perc®, Veran combines endobronchial navigation with percutaneous navigation, allowing physicians to access all lung nodules in a single procedure, regardless of nodule size or location. This eliminates the cost and risk of unnecessary procedures and empowers physicians to provide a same day diagnosis for their patients. The early diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer has been proven to save lives.
American College of Chest Physicians www.chestnet.org/lungcancer.
The International Early Lung Cancer Action Program Investigators. Survival of patients with stage I lung cancer detected on CT screening. The New England Journal of Medicine 2006; 355:1763-1771.
Ries L, Eisner M, Kosary C, et al. SEER Cancer Statistics Review, 1975-2003, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda MD, http://seer.cancer.gov/csr/1975_2003/.