Intuitive enters Korean lung cancer diagnostics market with Ion robotic bronchoscopy system

Intuitive Surgical Korea has launched its Ion robotic bronchoscopy system, bringing the company’s first non-surgical platform to the Korean market and signaling a broader push into interventional pulmonology.

Korea is the fourth country to introduce Ion, following the United States, where the system debuted in 2019.

The rollout comes as lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related death in Korea, with most nodules forming in hard-to-access peripheral regions of the lung.

(Courtesy of Intuitive Surgical Korea)

“Early diagnosis can save lives,” said Intuitive CEO Dave Rosa. “Ion is designed to help clinicians reach and sample lesions that conventional methods often miss, especially in the far reaches of the lung.”

The system combines shape-sensing fiber-optic technology with robotic navigation to support real-time lesion targeting, biopsy, and marker placement in patients with suspected or confirmed lung cancer.

According to Intuitive Korea’s Monday release, Ion’s 3.5 mm catheter can articulate more than 170 degrees in any direction and integrates with standard imaging tools such as fluoroscopy, cone-beam CT, and radial EBUS.

Intuitive Korea said the platform is intended to address a persistent diagnostic gap. While stage 1A lung cancer has a five-year survival rate above 75 percent, more than 70 percent of nodules occur in peripheral tissue, where traditional bronchoscopes often fail to reach early enough for curative intervention.

The system also features the Flexision Biopsy Needle, designed to pass through tight curvatures and collect tissue from small nodules with minimal invasiveness. A 2 mm working channel allows use of additional tools such as forceps or cytology brushes during the same procedure.

“Patients diagnosed at stage 4 face nearly triple the medical costs of those diagnosed at stage 1,” said Taylor Patton, global senior vice president of the Ion platform. “Ion can help reduce that burden by enabling earlier, more accurate diagnoses.”

Since its launch, Ion has been installed at approximately 800 sites worldwide, with more than 200,000 procedures performed as of the end of 2024.

“Ion reflects our ongoing commitment to expanding the frontiers of minimally invasive care,” said Choi Yong-bum, general manager of Intuitive Korea. “It builds on two decades of partnership with Korean clinicians and follows last year’s successful introduction of the da Vinci 5 system.”

Korea was the second country worldwide to adopt the da Vinci 5. The country has previously introduced the da Vinci Xi in 2014 and the da Vinci SP in 2018.