Robotic Precision, Early Detection Give Pompano Resident a Second Chance Against Lung Cancer

Robert Hurlock (left) celebrates his wedding day with his partner, David Dickinson (right)
 

POMPANO BEACH — For 69-year-old Robert Hurlock, Palm Aire resident and a lifelong long-distance runner, the sudden chest pains on a Saturday morning felt like a frightening anomaly. His cardiac workup came back clear, but the next bit of news hit him hard.

“When the CT scan came back, there were no blood clots. However, the radiologist said that in the upper lobe, they found a mass and that mass had a high probability of malignancy. So, of course, I was in total shock.”

But if there was a bright side to the news, said Hurlock, it was that the lesion was identified early. He was rushed into a fast-tracked treatment plan at Holy Cross Health Fort Lauderdale, powered by new medical technology that is reshaping the fight against lung cancer: the Ion robotic bronchoscopy system.

GPS for the Lungs

Doctors say the Ion system, developed by a company called Intuitive Surgical, operates much like an ultra-precise GPS for a patient's airways, in order to perform cancer biopsies within the delicate confines of a patient's lungs. Pulmonologists can navigate an ultra-thin, highly flexible catheter 360 degrees into all 18 segments of the lungs to reach tiny, deep-seated nodules—some measuring just six to eight millimeters—that were previously inaccessible without invasive surgical cuts.

“Before this technology, we used to always say we were "prisoners of the airways," said Sam Kosseifi, MD, Pulmonologist at Holy Cross Medical Group, who performed Hurlock’s diagnostic procedure. "Now, we put in the destination, and the system navigates throughout the airways with precision. It allows us to reach small peripheral nodules with no cuts, yielding a diagnostic accuracy above 90% with significantly less risk of complications."

Seamless Robotic Care Streamlines Timeline

For patients like Hurlock, who was preparing to get married when he received his diagnosis, the technology drastically accelerates the timeline from discovery to treatment. Just days after his emergency room visit, Kosseifi utilized the Ion bronchoscopy technology to perform an endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS) and biopsy, confirming Stage 1B lung cancer while verifying that the disease had not spread to the surrounding lymph nodes.

Following the diagnosis, Erik Sylvin, MD, Thoracic and Cardiac Surgeon at Holy Cross Medical Group, used a different robotic system to perform a minimally invasive lobectomy, removing the affected lobe. Because the Ion and Da Vinci platforms share their manufacturer's integrated software ecosystem, critical mapping data from the diagnostic phase transferred directly to the surgical suite.

Targeted Treatment and Recovery

Molecular and genetic testing on the harvested tissue later identified high-risk mutations, allowing his oncologist, Georges Azzi, MD, Holy Cross Medical Group, to immediately start Hurlock on targeted adjuvant therapy to prevent recurrence.

Despite needing a slightly larger incision during surgery to clear pre-existing scar tissue, Hurlock’s early detection meant he was discharged within two days, cleared for targeted treatment, and able to walk down the aisle for his wedding on June 3.

“It was great. It was as good as it could be given the circumstances,” said Hurlock of the biopsy that yielded his lung cancer biopsy with the Ion bronchoscopy system. “It really helps you heal a lot faster, and generally, I felt it was less invasive. The turnaround is just a lot better.”

By combining robotic diagnostic navigation with robotic surgical precision, Holy Cross Health is turning what used to be a wait-and-see approach for tiny lung nodules into early, life-saving interventions.

 

This article originally appeared in TAPinto Pompano Beach.
 

ABOUT HOLY CROSS HEALTH
A member of Trinity Health, Fort Lauderdale-based Holy Cross Hospital, dba Holy Cross Health, is a full-service, not-for-profit, Catholic, teaching hospital operating in the spirit of the Sisters of Mercy. Holy Cross has been recognized for six Types of Care in U.S. News and World Report’s 2025-2026 Best Hospital rankings, was named among the 2024 America’s Best-In-State Hospitals by Newsweek and selected as a Forbes America’s Best Employers for Healthcare Professionals in 2025. Holy Cross has also been designated as a 2025 High Performer by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation for LGBTQ+ health care access and Holy Cross Health Foundation is designated as a High Performer from the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy. Through strategic collaborations and a commitment to being a person-centered, transforming, healing presence, the 557-bed hospital offers progressive inpatient, outpatient and community outreach services and clinical research trials to serve as the community’s trusted health partner for life. Holy Cross Health also includes Holy Cross HealthPlex outpatient facility, urgent care centers and more than 40 Holy Cross Medical Group physician practices. To learn more about Holy Cross Health, visit holy-cross.com. Connect with Holy Cross Health on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.