The Cancer Services team at Northeast Georgia Health System (NGHS) has already demonstrated it is detecting lung cancer earlier than the national average, giving people the best opportunity to fight the disease, and now they have more than a thousand examples to prove it. The program recently performed its 1,000th Ion robotic bronchoscopy at Northeast Georgia Medical Center (NGMC) Gainesville.
“This milestone is about more than a number,” said April McDonald, MD, Medical Director of Interventional Pulmonology for Northeast Georgia Health System. “It represents 1,000 patients who benefited from a precise, advanced approach to evaluating suspicious lung nodules and getting the answers they need.”
Ion robotic bronchoscopy is a minimally invasive procedure that allows physicians to reach and biopsy even the smallest, hardest-to-access lung nodules. It’s also available at NGMC Braselton, which performed its first procedure in January 2025 – expanding access to this life-saving diagnostic tool for patients throughout the region.
“Reaching this milestone reflects the commitment of our physicians, nurses and support teams to advancing cancer care in our community,” said Kristin Crea, Executive Director of Operations NGMC Braselton, Oncology, and Orthopedics. “Every procedure is an opportunity to detect cancer earlier, guide treatment decisions and make a meaningful difference for patients and their families.”