Understanding the Landscape of Bronchoscopy in Lung Cancer - Insights From Lesion Location, Gender, and Diagnostic Efficacy

Sep 21, 2026

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Lung cancer remains a leading cause of cancer-related mortality, and diagnostic confusion with tuberculosis in high-prevalence settings often delays appropriate treatment. A retrospective review of 156 participants with malignancies evaluated bronchoscopy-based assessment of bronchial lesions across lesion patterns, gender-related observations, and diagnostic performance. Transbronchial needle aspiration showed the highest positivity, followed by biopsy and bronchoalveolar lavage, with lesion distributions varying by histology. Findings support direct tissue sampling and highlight the role of advancing bronchoscopic techniques while noting study limitations in generalizability.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages7

Reading Time18 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

Materials And Methods

Study design and setting

Participants

Results

Conclusion

Open Access Original Article DOI: 10.7759/cureus.53918 Review began 01/23/2024 Review ended 02/07/2024 Published 02/09/2024 © Copyright 2024 Devi et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License CC-BY 4.0. , which permits unrestricted use , distribution , and reproduction in any medium , provided the original author and source are credited. Understanding the Landscape of Bronchoscopy in Lung Cancer: Insights From Lesion Location, Gender, and Diagnostic Efficacy Laxmi Devi 1, Yogendra Verma 2, Anand Kumar 1, Farhan Khan 1, Sanjay Verma 1, Ankit Kumar 3 1. Respiratory Medicine, Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi Memorial Medical College, Kanpur, IND 2. Pathology, Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi Memorial Medical College, Kanpur, IND 3. Respiratory Medicine, King George 's Medical University, Lucknow, IND Corresponding author: Ankit Kumar, [ankyar007@gmail.com](ankyar007@gmail.com) Abstract Introduction: Lung cancer constitutes a critical global health concern. According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer 's (IARC) GLOBOCAN 2020 estimates, lung cancer is the leading cause of death in cancer patients. In areas where tuberculosis is prevalent, misdiagnosis and mistreatment frequently result from overlap, creating significant difficulties that delay diagnosis and treatment. Amid this complication, bronchoscopic techniques emerge as critical diagnostic tools, though their efficacy varies between studies. Method: Our retrospective study, conducted from July 2021 to December 2022 at the Department of Respiratory Medicine, Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi Memorial Medical College, Kanpur, examined 156 participants with malignancies. Our focus encompassed diverse lesions within the bronchial landscape, revealing intriguing findings. Results: Bronchoscopic examinations unravelled prevalent abnormalities: 52 (33 .3%) manifested as intraluminal growth, 48 (31 .6%) as mucosal irregularities, and a less frequent (16, 10.3%) as an intraluminal bulge. Transbronchial needle aspiration stood out with a 10/11 (91%) positivity rate, biopsy came in second at 38/46 (83%), and bronchoalveolar lavage showed a 44/152 (29%) positivity rate. It was interesting to see how the lesions were spread out among the different types of histology. For example, squamous cell carcinoma showed 17/37 (46%) intraluminal growth, while adenocarcinoma showed 22/60 (36 . 7%) intraluminal growth and 4/60 (6 . 7%) intraluminal bulge. Moreover, a significant absence of abnormalities was observed in various lesions, underlining the intricacies of characterising bronchial lesions. Conclusion: Our study shows that direct tissue sampling is better and that new bronchoscopic technologies are important for diagnosing lesions that were hard to get to in the past. However, limitations in patientselection biases and the single-centre focus caution against generalised interpretations. Our research illuminates the pivotal role of bronchoscopic methods in diagnosing lung lesions, emphasising the necessity for continued advancements to enhance diagnostic accuracy and treatment efficacy in lung cancer subtypes. Categories: Pathology, Infectious Disease, Pulmonology Keywords: tuberculosis, endobronchial biopsy, transbronchial needle aspiration, tbna, lung cancer, bronchoscopy Introduction Lung cancer is a significant cause of death and a paramount public health concern worldwide. According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer 's (IARC) GLOBOCAN 2020 estimates of cancer incidence and mortality, lung cancer continues to be the primary cause of cancer-related death, accounting for an estimated 1 .8 million deaths (18%) in 2020 [1] . The leading cause of lung cancer is tobacco use, which includes using pipes, cigars, and cigarettes, but it can also occur in non-smokers [2] . In many instances, initial misdiagnosis and mistreatment of lung cancer as tuberculosis pose a significant challenge, p

FAQs

Why is bronchoscopy important for diagnosing lung cancer in TB-prevalent regions?

Misdiagnosis of lung cancer as tuberculosis is common when diseases overlap, leading to delays. Bronchoscopic methods provide diagnostic access, though performance varies across studies.

What bronchoscopy procedures showed the highest diagnostic positivity in this study?

Transbronchial needle aspiration had a 10/11 (91%) positivity rate. Biopsy followed at 38/46 (83%), and bronchoalveolar lavage showed 44/152 (29%).

How did lesion types relate to different lung cancer histologies?

Lesion distributions differed by histology. Squamous cell carcinoma showed more intraluminal growth (17/37, 46%), while adenocarcinoma had substantial intraluminal growth (22/60, 36.7%) and some intraluminal bulge (4/60, 6.7%).

What limitations affect how broadly the results can be applied?

The authors note patient-selection biases and a single-centre study focus, which caution against generalized interpretation.

Sep 21, 2026

Uploaded by Finn