ISSN: 1837-9664Journal of Cancer
Global reach, higher impact
J Cancer 2023; 14(8):1398-1406. doi:10.7150/jca.84220 This issue Cite
Research Paper
Application of bronchoscopy in the diagnosis and treatment of peripheral pulmonary lesions in China: a national cross-sectional study
1. Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University, Shanghai, China.
2. Department of Respiratory Medicine, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
3. Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing, China.
4. Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Tangdu Hospital, Air Force Military Medical University, Xian, China.
5. Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Health, State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
6. Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, MI, USA.
7. Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
#These authors contributed equally to this work.
Abstract
Background: Bronchoscopy has gradually become valuable armamentarium in evaluating and applying endoscopic therapy to peripheral pulmonary lesions (PPLs) around the world. We aimed to make a comprehensive understanding of the application of bronchoscopy in the diagnosis and treatment of PPLs in China.
Methods: A cross-sectional survey was carried out in China between January 2022 and March 2022. The survey was in the form of an online questionnaire which was filled in with real-time data by the respondents.
Results: A total of 347 doctors from 284 tertiary hospitals (81.8%) and 63 secondary general hospitals (18.2%) were included in the data analysis. More than half of the surveyed doctors (55.0%) had independently performed respiratory endoscopy for 5-15 years. Higher proportions of hospitals with a fixed nursing team, anesthesiologists and rapid on-site evaluation (ROSE) during bronchoscopic procedures were performed in tertiary hospitals than those in secondary general hospitals (P<0.001 each). There were 316 hospitals (91.7%) eligible for performing biopsies of PPLs less than 30mm, while more than 300 PPLs biopsies were performed in only 78 hospitals (24.7%) per year. Radial probe endobronchial ultrasound (r-EBUS) (50.3%) was the commonest type of technique used in the guidance of a bronchoscope to PPLs, followed by navigational bronchoscopy (30.3%) and cone beam CT (CBCT) (17.0%). Although two thirds of the surveyed hospitals had at least one bronchoscopic guidance devices, the actual utilization of these devices was not high due to high capital costs and absence of training. To note, more diagnostic procedures and allocated devices were concentrated in the southeast region and coastal cities. Furthermore, therapeutic bronchoscopic interventions for peripheral lung cancer and/or high-risk PPLs could be performed in 124 (35.7%) of the 347 involved hospitals.
Conclusions: Bronchoscopy for the diagnosis of PPLs has been carried out in most hospitals in China and yields in different hospitals and regions varied greatly. To date, only a few hospitals in China can develop therapeutic bronchoscopy for PPLs.
Keywords: bronchoscopy, peripheral pulmonary lesions, endobronchial ultrasound, navigational bronchoscopy, diagnosis, treatment
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