Fluorescence Bronchoscopic Surveillance in Lung Cancer Patients
Author Information
Author(s): TRACEY LEE WEIGEL, PAMELA J. KOSCO, SANJA DACIC, SAMUEL YOUSEM, JAMES D. LUKETICH
Primary Institution: University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
Hypothesis
The study aims to evaluate the role of fluorescence bronchoscopy in the surveillance of patients for second non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) primaries after resection or curative photodynamic therapy.
Conclusion
Surveillance LIFE bronchoscopy identified intraepithelial or invasive lesions in 17% of patients previously thought to be disease-free.
Supporting Evidence
- Thirty-six patients underwent 53 surveillance LIFE bronchoscopies.
- 6 out of 36 patients (17%) had intraepithelial neoplasia or invasive carcinoma.
- The overall relative sensitivity of LIFE versus conventional bronchoscopy was 165%.
- The negative predictive value of LIFE bronchoscopy was 0.96.
Takeaway
Doctors used a special light to look for hidden lung cancer in patients who seemed healthy after treatment, and they found some cancer that was missed before.
Methodology
Patients with a history of NSCLC who were disease-free after treatment were monitored using fluorescence bronchoscopy, with biopsies taken from suspicious areas.
Limitations
The study may have a higher number of false positives due to retained photofrin from previous treatments.
Participant Demographics
{"gender":{"male":22,"female":14},"age":{"average":65,"range":"42-84"},"histology":{"NSCLC":35,"adenocarcinoma":14,"squamous_cell":19,"poorly_differentiated":2},"treatment":{"surgery":34,"PDT_only":2}}
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