Bronchoscopy and endobronchial ultrasound for diagnosis and staging of lung cancer

Various techniques, including standard bronchoscopy, transthoracic needle aspiration and mediastinoscopy, are used for diagnosis and staging of lung cancer. Minimizing the number of invasive procedures for lung cancer diagnosis and staging is preferred, however, and a growing number of bronchoscopic techniques are being used. Currently available techniques for the initial diagnosis of lung cancer include electromagnetic navigation bronchoscopy with computed tomography mapping and sample collection, endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS) using radial or convex probe tips, and the combination of the two approaches. EBUS with transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) is highly specific and sensitive for the examination of mediastinal lymph nodes. Several studies have demonstrated the utility of this approach for less invasive lung cancer mediastinal staging. EBUS-TBNA has also been used in the collection of tissue samples for the analysis of tumor biomarkers that significantly influence the selection of cancer treatment strategies. Evidence suggests that EBUS-TBNA may be less useful for restaging patients with lung cancer after cytotoxic therapy.