ShanghaiJune 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Recently, with the support of Johnson & Johnson MedTech, Shanghai General Hospital (hereinafter referred to as “the hospital”) officially established China’s first MONARCH robotic technology demonstration training center. The center will leverage the hospital’s extensive clinical experience in lung cancer diagnosis and treatment using the MONARCH robot-assisted system, systematically conducting standardized training on natural orifice robotic diagnostic and therapeutic techniques. With training as a link and empowerment as the core, it aims to enrich clinical intervention methods for pulmonary nodules, enhance the surgical discipline’s diagnostic and treatment capabilities in early lung cancer detection and treatment, and provide personalized “one-stop” precision minimally invasive lung cancer treatment solutions for more early-stage lung cancer patients, especially those with multiple pulmonary nodules.
Shanghai General Hospital MONARCH Robotic Technology Demonstration Training Center Officially Established
Professor Fan Jiang, Director of the Department of Thoracic Surgery at Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, stated: “The application of natural orifice robotic technology has expanded the surgical diagnostic and treatment concepts and technical systems for early lung cancer detection and treatment. Since the MONARCH robot was introduced at our hospital last year, after nearly a year of clinical application, we have gradually established a relatively mature practical foundation in the pioneering exploration and standardized use of this technology. We look forward to leveraging the training center to cultivate more professionals who can skillfully master advanced natural orifice robotic technology, continuously improve the ability to diagnose and treat early lung cancer, and advance the front line of lung cancer prevention and control in China.”
Lung cancer is the world’s number one cancer killer and the cancer type with the highest incidence and mortality rates in China. The overall situation of lung cancer prevention and control in China is severe, partly because most lung cancer patients in the country are diagnosed at an advanced stage, and the rate of early screening and diagnosis for lung cancer still needs improvement[1]. Meanwhile, the proportion of multiple pulmonary nodules in China ranges from 13.26% to 45.56%[2], and with the widespread use of CT screening, their detection continues to rise. These nodules are often scattered in location, small in size, and located in the peripheral lungs, making accurate preoperative diagnosis difficult with traditional navigational bronchoscopy, which struggles to precisely reach the lesions. Percutaneous puncture, on the other hand, carries higher risks of complications such as bleeding and pneumothorax. Therefore, patients urgently need more precise and minimally invasive comprehensive diagnostic and treatment solutions.
Oliwen Li, General Manager of the Surgical Business Unit at Johnson & Johnson MedTech China, stated: “The deepening clinical application of the MONARCH robot at Shanghai General Hospital has brought tangible patient value to precision lung cancer diagnosis and treatment, and we are deeply encouraged by this. This is also the original intention behind our continuous acceleration of technological innovation—to ensure that cutting-edge technology truly benefits patients. With over thirty years of deep involvement in China, Johnson & Johnson MedTech is not only committed to promoting the application of innovative technologies but also actively supports the standardized development of technology and the construction of a talent system. We hope that the establishment of this training center will accelerate the transition of natural orifice robotic technology from ‘accessibility’ to ‘standardized application,’ enabling more patients to benefit and contributing to the sustainable development of lung cancer prevention and control in China.”