Proportion of biopsy specimens containing a tumor when compared to all biopsy specimens by transbronchial biopsy

Shinnosuke Takemoto; Mutsumi Ozasa; Remi Mizuta; Ryuta Tagawa; Sawana Ono; Noritaka Honda; Takayuki Suyama; Yasuhiro Umeyama; Yosuke Dotsu; Hiroshi Gyotoku; Hiroyuki Yamaguchi; Kazuko Yamamoto; Noriho Sakamoto; Yasushi Obase; Minoru Fukuda; Hiroshi Mukae

doi:10.2217/lmt-2022-0001

Proportion of biopsy specimens containing a tumor when compared to all biopsy specimens by transbronchial biopsy

Lung Cancer Manag. 2023 Mar 27;11(4):LMT57. doi: 10.2217/lmt-2022-0001. eCollection 2022 Dec.

Authors

Shinnosuke Takemoto¹, Mutsumi Ozasa^{1

2}, Remi Mizuta¹, Ryuta Tagawa¹, Sawana Ono¹, Noritaka Honda¹, Takayuki Suyama¹, Yasuhiro Umeyama¹, Yosuke Dotsu¹, Hiroshi Gyotoku¹, Hiroyuki Yamaguchi¹, Kazuko Yamamoto¹, Noriho Sakamoto¹, Yasushi Obase¹, Minoru Fukuda³, Hiroshi Mukae¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Respiratory Medicine, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki, Japan.
² Department of Pathology, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki, Japan.
³ Clinical Oncology Center, Nagasaki University Hospital, Nagasaki, Japan.

Abstract

Background: The lung cancer biopsy specimens obtained by endobronchial ultrasound-guide sheath (EBUS-GS) trans lung biopsy occasionally do not contain cancer cells. It is a problem that there is a possibility that they may not contain cancer cells.

Aim of the study: To investigate the proportion of biopsy specimens containing cancer cells in total biopsy specimens.

Materials & methods: Patients with lung cancer diagnosed by EBUS-GS were selected. The primary end point was the proportion of specimens containing tumors in the total specimens obtained by EBUS-GS.

Results: Twenty-six patients were investigated. The percentage of specimens containing cancer cells in the total specimens was 79.0%.

Conclusion: The proportion of biopsy specimens containing cancer cell to all biopsy specimens by EBUS-GS was high, but not 100%.

Keywords: EBUS-GS; biopsy; lung cancer; proportion.

Plain language summary

The lung cancer biopsy specimens obtained by trans lung biopsy occasionally do not contain cancer cells. It is a problem that there is a possibility that they may not contain cancer cells. If the biopsy specimens contained no malignant cells, there was a possibility that accurate genetic test would not be performed and as a result, the correct molecular targeted drug would not be used. It is important to investigate the proportion of biopsy specimens containing cancer cells in total biopsy specimens. In this study, we showed the percentage of specimens containing cancer cells in the total specimens was 79.0%. This result should be considered to perform genetic test from biopsy specimens.