Proactive Investors - Creo Medical Group PLC (LON:CREO) said a 'world-first' advance has been made by surgeons using its microwave lung technology to remove a cancerous nodule.
Professor Pallav Shah and Dr Christopher Orton, of the Royal Brompton Hospital, successfully performed a robotic guided ablation of lung tissue alongside a diagnostic procedure in a single session using Creo's MicroBlate Flex device.
They took out a 27mm cancerous nodule in just three minutes, marking a potential major milestone in the treatment of lung cancer through minimally invasive techniques.
"The potential to combine the diagnosis, staging and treatment of lung cancer in one procedure offers significant benefit to patients," said Orton.
Creo chief executive Craig Gulliford said the company's R&D team has been perfecting minimally invasive surgical endoscopy for pre-cancer and cancer patients for years, with the use of the technology in robotic applications a 'key goal'.
"We are incredibly proud that our MicroBlate Flex technology has been able to make this world-first possible," he added.
"The potential for these technologies to combine precise robotically guided lung cancer diagnosis with the ablation of cancerous tissue in one session is transformational.
"Not only could this dramatically improve outcomes for lung cancer patients, but it has the potential to do away with long and worrying delays between diagnosis and treatment. This is the beginning of an exciting program and the team have done a terrific job in reaching this point."