The choice of invasive diagnostic techniques in advanced lung cancer.

Background: We retrospectively evaluated the invasive diagnostic techniques that were not suitable for transthoracic biopsy or bronchoscopy and the results of these techniques for advanced lung cancer cases.

Methods: The files of patients operated at the Department of Thoracic Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Pamukkale University for advanced lung cancer (stages III and IV) between 2006 and 2010 were retrospectively reviewed for the analysis of definite diagnostic methods.

Results: The mean age of 59 patients who underwent invasive diagnostic techniques was 56.55 ± 9.42 years (32 to 75) and the female to male ratio was 1:4 (11 female:48 male). Mediastinoscopy was the most commonly used invasive technique with 20 patients (34%) while the second most common technique was video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery with 10 patients (17%). Thoracotomy was the most invasive diagnostic technique with four patients (6.5%).

Conclusions: Although it would be desirable to use noninvasive and minimally invasive diagnostic techniques in the diagnosis of lung cancers, we should not try to avoid using invasive diagnostic techniques in surgical practice in advanced lung cancers where other techniques may be inadequate.