HONOLULU (KHON2) — Hawaii has ranked last in the nation for early diagnosis of lung cancer for three straight years. But the Queen’s Health Systems is looking to change that with the launch of its Advanced Lung Institute.
“The inspiration came from a deep recognition that lung cancer is the number one cancer killer in both men and women,” said Dr. Taryne Imai, Thoracic Surgery Program Director, Queen’s Health Systems.
“It’s just so often that we are seeing patients that are presenting at advanced stages, where chances for a cure are very slim, and treatment options are limited. And we really felt that we needed to do better for our patients, for our primary care providers, as well as for our community.”
The Queen’s Advanced Lung Institute offers a comprehensive range of services.
“Our approach is to provide patients with a comprehensive, patient-centered model of care that integrates innovative technologies in every step of the process. We have built a multi-disciplinary team of specialists, we use AI technology to help identify lung nodules on CT scans that are performed on any CT scan done in the Queen’s Health System,” said Dr. Imai.
This program has enabled Queen’s to identify lung cancers at smaller sizes and earlier stages, often before symptoms emerge.
Additionally, Queen’s Advanced Lung Institute has Hawaii’s most experienced ION Robotic Navigation Bronchoscopy program, enabling the Institute to offer lung biopsies in a minimally invasive approach.
The Institute also has the largest robotic thoracic surgery program in Hawaii.
“But I think what really sets us apart at the Institute is our approach to lung cancer care. It really streamlines the timeline and speeds it up from lung cancer diagnosis to treatment in what usually takes us in Hawaii eight to 10 weeks, to now, under four hours,” said Imai. “And so, we really feel that this is a game changer, especially for our neighbor island patients who now only need to fly to Honolulu once.”
Imai said patients can get diagnosed, staged and treated in a single visit.
“One of the most powerful things that our patients say is that they don’t feel like they’re lung cancer patients because we diagnose their lung cancer when they’re sleeping under general anesthesia, and when they woke up, they were already treated. And so, we are really striving to perform that kind of transformative care every day at the Institute,” said Imai.
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To learn more about the services provided by The Queen’s Advanced Lung Institute, call (808) 686-LUNG (5846).