Fred Hartford, a Massena resident and former smoker, consented to a routine lung screening ordered by his primary care provider and he expected a normal check-in.
Fred was not experiencing any symptoms and felt fine. However, that screening did reveal a small nodule deep within his lung—one nearly impossible to reach with conventional tools. Fred’s medical team would later determine that the nodule was Stage 1 lung cancer.
A coordinated effort between Canton-Potsdam Hospital and Rochester General Hospital was set in motion when that tiny spot was found early, ultimately leading to a successful diagnosis, treatment, and recovery.
“I never would’ve known anything was wrong,” Fred said. “I felt the same as any other day. But that CT scan caught it early, when it was still small enough to treat. That made all the difference.”
How Fred’s medical team used new technology
The initial biopsy determined Fred’s nodule was too small and located too deep within the lung to safely reach. “They told me it wasn’t safe to do it,” he recalled. “They needed the new robotic machine.” That new machine was the Ion Robotic Bronchoscopy Platform, recently introduced at Canton-Potsdam Hospital. Within months of its arrival, Fred became one of the program’s early patients.
Pulmonologist Dr. Rishi Kumar used the state-of-the-art robotic navigation to guide a tiny instrument through Fred’s airway with precision, reaching the nodule safely and obtaining a biopsy without the need for more invasive methods. The care team suspected, and a biopsy confirmed, Fred had Stage 1 lung cancer and it was detected early enough to be cured.
“Robotic bronchoscopy allows me to reach hard to access areas of the lung with enhanced precision, bringing us right up to the disease to obtain tissue,” said Dr. Kumar.
Fred and Susan Hartford visit with Pulmonologist Rishi Kumar, MD whose expertise with advanced robotic bronchoscopy technology helped detect Fred’s lung cancer early—proving that life-saving care can happen close to home.“It wasn’t painful at all,” Fred said. “I was asleep, and when I woke up, my throat was maybe a little sore, but that was it. The technology let them get to a spot they never could have reached before.”
Susan, Fred’s wife, remembers how supportive the care team was. “Dr. Kumar explained everything in a way we could understand,” she said. “He was honest, comforting, and very clear about why waiting for the Robotic Bronchoscopy was safer. That meant a lot to us.”
A partnership from Potsdam to Rochester
Once the biopsy confirmed that the nodule needed to be removed, Fred traveled to Rochester General Hospital. Once he arrived in Rochester, Thoracic Surgeon Shuyin Liang, MD worked with General Surgeon Apostolos Kandilis, MD, from Canton-Potsdam Hospital to perform a successful minimally invasive operation. Because the cancer was caught at an early stage, Dr. Liang was able to perform an anatomic segmentectomy, which preserves more lung tissue compared to traditional lobectomy. No additional treatments were needed beyond surgery.
Since Dr. Liang and Dr. Kandilis work closely as a team, Fred was able to have his post-operative follow up appointment with Dr. Kandilis, avoiding unnecessary long-distance travel during his recovery. Dr. Kumar collaborated closely with the surgical team in Rochester, ensuring continuity of care throughout Fred’s treatment.
“That partnership between the hospitals was huge,” Susan said. “It felt like one team working together for Fred.”
For the Hartfords, the value of having advanced technology and specialty expertise within Rochester Regional Health’s St. Lawrence region cannot be overstated. “So many people our age just can’t travel,” Susan said. “If you can get modern, life-saving care right here, people are more likely to get screened, more likely to be seen, and more likely to catch things early.”
“The tools we use to obtain biopsies not only give us a diagnosis but also extract enough tissue to perform advanced testing to give patients access to the most current treatment options available,” continued Kumar. “Robotic bronchoscopy is enabling earlier, safer and a more reliable diagnosis that guides timely and targeted care, turning uncertainty into precision and hope into action.”
Fred continues regular follow-up scans every six months and is grateful for the support he received. For people with Stage 1 lung cancer, ongoing observation is a critical part of staying healthy, and Fred is dedicated to doing just that.
“The whole team took excellent care of me, from the pulmonology office to the surgeons,” he said. “They were honest, they were careful, and they did what was best for me.”
Fred’s message for others: “Listen to your provider. Don’t put off screening. You might be scared, but getting checked could save your life. It saved mine.”
About Robotic Bronchoscopy at Canton-Potsdam Hospital
The Ion Robotic Bronchoscopy platform allows providers to reach small, difficult-to-access areas of the lung with far greater accuracy than traditional methods, leading to earlier detection and treatment of lung disease. Dr. Rishi Kumar and the Canton-Potsdam Hospital team have completed nearly 100 procedures since launching the program, expanding access to advanced pulmonary care for those living throughout the St. Lawrence region.
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