how is lung cancer diagnosed?: Advanced Radiation Centers of New York

If a patient presents with any of the findings on the previous page, he/she is usually sent for further studies and evaluation. For example, if there is new shortness of breath or onset of a cough, a chest x-ray may be ordered. If an abnormality is noted on a chest x-ray, further radiographic studies may be performed such as a CAT scan or a PET scan, or a combination CT-PET scan. A bronchoscopy is often performed to see the inside of the bronchial airways using a long flexible scope (bronchoscope) during a procedure typically performed by a Pulmonologist or Thoracic Surgeon.

Once there is enough clinical suspicion that there is an abnormality in the lung, the diagnosis of lung cancer is made by a biopsy. The type of biopsy usually depends on the location of the abnormality. For example: if the lesion is located near or invading into the airway, it may be seen during the diagnostic bronchoscopy and a biopsy can be taken at this time. The bronchoscopist may take washings, in which water or saline is infused into the airways and then collected and examined for any abnormal cells. If a lesion is peripheral, lying on the outer edge of the lung, it may be reached by a needle biopsy, which is where the needle is guided under the visualization of a CT scan by an Interventional Radiologist.

If there are abnormalities in the center of the chest known as the mediastinum, a Thoracic Surgeon may be able to obtain a tissue sample using techniques such as a video assisted thoracoscopy, or VATS procedure, using only small incisions similar to laparoscopy in the abdomen. If the lesion is not accessible using one of these types of procedures or these have been non-diagnostic, often times a surgical procedure must be used to remove the lesion and obtain a diagnosis.

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Lung Cancer Q&A

How is Lung Cancer Diagnosed?