Bronchoscopy in patients with lung cancer

Abstract:

Bronchoscopy is an endoscopic technique that allows for visual inspection of the trachea and tracheobronchial tree to the level of subsegmental branches, as well as taking secretions, lavage, mucosal swabs and tissue samples from the trachea, bronchi and lungs. „FOB“, flexible bronchoscopy or fiberoptic bronchoscopy, is an essential component in everyday pulmological practice and is now widely used in other medical disciplines; doctors in intensive care units, thoracic surgeons, ENT specialists, anesthesiologists and pediatricians. There are two types of bronchoscopy: rigid bronchoscopy and flexible or fiberoptic bronchoscopy. Virtual bronchoscopy/spiral CT can be considered as complementary and not necessarily competitive technique. In patients with lung cancer, bronchoscopy remains as the standard, routine procedure that allows for accurate diagnosis and evaluation of the localization and extent of the disease. Autofluorescence bronchoscopy helps in the diagnosis of preinvasive lesions and early-stage lung cancer, while endobronchial and endoscopic ultrasounds contribute to mediastinal „staging“ and verification of peripheral lung lesions. Although primarily a palliative method, interventional pulmonology/bronchology could soon provide a definitive alternative to thoracic surgery in the treatment of early stage lung cancer and benign endobronchal tumors. 

Key words:
autofluorescence bronchoscopy; bronchoscopy; endobronchial ultrasound; interventional bronchology; smoker at risk