The Florida Lung, Asthma and Sleep Specialists often utilize this blog to update readers on the latest in lung cancer research both here and around the world.

If you or someone you love is over 70 years old, we are certain you will appreciate some new English research in lung cancer diagnosis. This is true because half of all lung cancer patients are over 70 years of age when they are “first diagnosed, but studies have shown that these older patients are less likely to receive an accurate diagnosis.”

It is crucial to make an exact evaluation of the stage of a lung patient’s disease when it is first diagnosed. Doctors must know how much the tumor has spread in order to prescribe the right treatment.

FLASS Applauds New Lung Cancer Study! 

In essence, a study in Manchester, England has proven that a “procedure to take tissue samples from lung cancer patients can be used safely in the elderly.” This allows for better diagnosis and more fitting treatment options.

The EBUS-TBNA Diagnostic Technique

Before we introduce you to the new technique, we want you to understand two factors concerning methods of testing the spread of a patient’s cancer to the lymph nodes:

1. Non-invasive methods have typically given limited information.

2. Until the recent study, “the only way to obtain a tissue sample was under general anesthetic — limiting its use in elderly patients who often present with other conditions that may restrict the use of general anaesthesia.”

Recently researchers at University Hospital of South Manchester and the Manchester Cancer Research Centre have evaluated a new technique:  endobronchial ultrasound-guided trans-bronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA).

The research confirmed that the EBUS-TBNA was safe to use on patients in spite of their age. 

1.  About The Test:

This procedure can be accomplished under sedation while the patient is still conscious. It is understandable why this is better for patients who are older and patients who might be struggling with health issues in addition to their lung cancer.

2.  About The Instruments:

EBUS-TBNA utilizes ultra-sound “to guide a sampling needle down and through the airways of the lungs.”

3.  About The Patients:

Before this study, the technique had been used with younger patients. “We wanted to see if there were any differences between patients aged less than 70 years old and those older than 70, in terms of both the safety of the technique and how useful it was for diagnosis,” stated Dr Richard Booton, Consultant Respiratory Physician at the North West Lung Centre. Dr. Booton is also senior lecturer at the University’s Institute of Inflammation and Repair, and leader of the study. If you are interested in the detailed statistical numbers behind their findings, FLASS invites you to read a summary from the Journal of Thoracic Oncology at this helpful online resource.

4. About The Observations And The Age Factor:

EBUS-TBNA was tolerated well by people of all ages. (The study included some patients who over 80 years old.)

The doctors also proved that that EBUS-TBNA is sensitive and highly effective for assessing whether a patient’s tumor had spread to the lymph nodes.

Dr. Booton added, “Being able to safely take tissue samples will also allow us to test for specific tumor sub-types and better decide the most appropriate treatment for each individual patient.”

Read some of the statistical background and previous research on EBUS-TBNA and lung cancer testing at the National Library of Medicine. 

At FLASS, where patients are treated like family, we are constantly amazed at the many levels of hope in modern medicine.

Stories such as this one bring us hope. Hope is cultured by the scientists in the laboratories, nurtured by the statisticians in the libraries, manifested by the surgeons in the operating rooms, and finally realized in the eyes of the lung cancer patient by the bedside physician.  It is a shared responsibility that grows daily among physicians and caregivers around the world and across generations.

The doctors and staff of the Florida Lung, Asthma and Sleep Specialists thank you for reading this blog.