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April 22 - Ultrasound Guidance Aids Cancer Diagnoses

An ultrasound probe attached at the tip of a bronchoscope can identify the location of cancerous masses in a patient’s chest, allowing for an accurate biopsy under ultrasound guidance. Interventional pulmonologists at The Ohio State University Medical Center are using the technique to diagnose lung cancer.

“Some lung cancer patients also have emphysema from smoking, which does not make them very good surgical candidates,” says Shaheen Islam, MD, an interventional pulmonologist and critical care specialist at Ohio State’s Medical Center. “Using this new technique allows patients for an accurate staging through an outpatient procedure with minimal, conscious sedation, so that appropriate treatment can be offered.”

Chest biopsies are traditionally obtained through a small incision in the neck. This technique requires an operating room and general anesthesia. Pulmonologists can also obtain a diagnosis using a biopsy needle through a bronchoscope; however, there is no real time guidance and the site of the tumor is determined after reviewing a patient’s x-ray or other diagnostic scan.

“Studies have shown that accurate staging, along with diagnosis of lung cancer, can be done without any surgical procedures,” says Islam.

Source: The Ohio State University Medical Center

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