(Anderson, S.C. – December 16, 2025) – AnMed recently celebrated a major milestone in the fight against lung cancer: Dr. Abhijit Raval and Dr. Kenneth “Chet” Walters have successfully surpassed more than 500 diagnostic procedures using the Ion robotic bronchoscopy platform from Intuitive.
The achievement reflects their team’s commitment to early cancer detection for the community through exceptional, compassionate care equipped with cutting-edge technology.
The Ion platform represents a significant advancement in pulmonary care. Its precision and minimally invasive approach allow doctors to navigate deep into the lung with unprecedented accuracy, enabling earlier detection of abnormalities that could indicate cancer.
Dr. Abhijit A. Raval, pulmonologist at AnMed Pulmonary & Sleep Medicine
For patients, this means faster diagnoses, less discomfort and improved outcomes.
“I think this is one milestone, and we have many more to achieve,” said Dr. Raval. “At the end of the day, we are helping the community with early detection of cancer. For lung cancer, early detection is the key to improving mortality. I’m very excited about this.”
Dr. Walters echoed the importance of bringing this technology to the region.
“It’s rewarding to offer this kind of technology at our facility,” he said. “To offer this to a community that I think was underserved for many years is important. We’ve tried to bring in better technology and early detection — things that aren’t being offered at other, larger centers — to help drive the direction of cancer treatment.”
The doctors said that while technology is critical, education and screening remain essential. Lung cancer screening is still underutilized nationwide, and AnMed is working to change that. Low-dose CT scans and robotic bronchoscopy are helping detect cancer earlier, when it is most treatable.
Dr. Brad Mock, AnMed’s chief physician executive, highlighted broad impact.
“It’s great that an institution of our size can support this kind of technology for our community,” he said. “Early detection for lung cancer is key, and this is great technology to bring to the community. We’d like to see low-dose CT become like the colonoscopy for those who qualify.”
