This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Personal Folders Download to citation manager Author home page(s): Noriyoshi Sawabata Shin-ichi Takeda Hajime Maeda Permission Requests Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Funakoshi, Y. Articles by Maeda, H. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Funakoshi, Y. Articles by Maeda, H. Related Collections Lung - cancer

Bronchoscopically undiagnosed small peripheral lung tumors

^a Division of Surgery, Toneyama National Hospital, 5-5-1 Toneyama, Toyonaka, Osaka 560-8552, Japan
^b Department of Surgery (E1), Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan
^c Division of Surgery, Toyonaka Municipal Hospital, Osaka, Japan

^* Corresponding author. Tel.:+81-6-6853-2001; fax:+81-6-6850-1750
funakoshi{at}surg1.med.osaka-u.ac.jp

Small peripheral lung cancers (2 cm or less maximum diameter) are often surgically resected, and the survival rate of those patients has been reported to be significantly higher than that of patients with tumors 2.1 cm or more in diameter. We evaluated the status of these small tumors diagnosed during surgery, following unsuccessful transbronchial biopsy procedures. In a retrospective study, 84 consecutive patients, with a maximum diameter of 2 cm or less on chest computed tomography, were enrolled. All underwent surgery for diagnosis. Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery was performed in 49 cases (58%), Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery+mini-thoracotomy in ten cases (12%), and an open lung biopsy in 25 cases (30%). Primary lung cancer was found in 40 cases (48%), metastatic lung tumors in three cases (3%), and benign lung tumors in 41 cases (49%). Among the 40 primary lung cancer cases, adenocarcinoma was in 38, squamous cell carcinoma was in one, and small cell carcinoma was in one. The rate of stage IA was 90%. Surgical excision of undiagnosed small peripheral nodules without waiting is necessary if transbronchial biopsy diagnosis is unsuccessful, because of the high rate of stage IA non-small cell lung cancer.

Key Words: Lung cancer; Excision; Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery; Transbronchial biopsy; Computed tomography-guided fine-needle aspiration cytology

This article has been cited by other articles:

				T. R. Gildea, P. J. Mazzone, D. Karnak, M. Meziane, and A. C. Mehta Electromagnetic Navigation Diagnostic Bronchoscopy: A Prospective Study Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med., November 1, 2006; 174(9): 982 - 989. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				Y. Schwarz, J. Greif, H. D. Becker, A. Ernst, and A. Mehta Real-Time Electromagnetic Navigation Bronchoscopy to Peripheral Lung Lesions Using Overlaid CT Images: The First Human Study. Chest, April 1, 2006; 129(4): 988 - 994. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]