Tom G. Sutedja

Radiographically occult lung cancer treated with fibreoptic bronchoscopic electrocautery: a pilot study of a simple and inexpensive technique

The curative potential of bronchoscopic intervention, e.g. photodynamic therapy (PDT) and brachytherapy, for resectable radiographically occult lung cancer has been reported previously. Bronchoscopic electrocautery is currently feasible using an insulated flexible bronchoscope to coagulate and vaporize tumour tissue. Since the lesions are usually small, noninvasive bronchoscopic electrocautery may be able to eradicate radiographically occult lung cancer completely. In a prospective study, 13 patients with 15 radiographically occult lung cancer lesions were treated with bronchoscopic electrocautery. The duration of follow-up was > or = 16 months. The median age of the patients was 69 yrs (range 48-79 yrs). Fibreoptic bronchoscopy under local anaesthesia was used to coagulate the occult lung cancer. Approximately 30 W of energy was applied until visible necrosis of the tumour area became apparent. There were no immediate complications. In 10 patients with 12 lesions, a complete response (CR) was obtained (CR rate 80%; 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 52-96%). Median duration of follow-up was 21 months (range 16-43 months). Bronchoscopic electrocautery did not obtain a CR in the remaining three patients, but PDT also failed to achieve CR. Two patients underwent radical resection, and the tumours were histologically confirmed to be more invasive. One patient received external radiotherapy. Three patients with a CR died during follow-up, two as a result of myocardial infarction and apoplexy, and one because of metastasis from his previously resected T3N1 primary large cell cancer. Current data show bronchoscopic electrocautery to be equally effective and potentially as curative as photodynamic therapy for treating patients with radiographically occult lung cancer. Obvious advantages are that it is an inexpensive and simple procedure, which does not cause photosensitivity.

Cost-effectiveness of video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery versus conservative treatment for first time or recurrent spontaneous pneumothorax

The aim of this study was to analyse differences in efficacy and costs in treating first time or recurrent spontaneous pneumothorax by conservative therapy (pleural drainage or observation) and video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS). Retrospectively, 112 patients treated by conservative therapy during 1985-1989 (Period 1) were compared with 97 patients treated by VATS during 1991-1994 (Period 2). Mean follow-up time in each period was more than 2 yrs. Patients in both periods had comparable clinical characteristics. Irrespective of first time or recurrent spontaneous pneumothorax at presentation, drainage and hospitalization times were longer, and complication and recurrence rates were higher in Period 1. When costs due to the waiting time before VATS were excluded, the total costs in Period 1 were higher than in Period 2. Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery is more effective in treating patients with first time or recurrent spontaneous pneumothorax, with less morbidity and total costs compared to conservative therapy. In view of cost-effectiveness, we feel that a different management of first time or recurrent spontaneous pneumothorax is not justified.

Bronchoscopic treatment of intraluminal typical carcinoid: A pilot study☆☆☆★

OBJECTIVE The curative potential of various bronchoscopic treatments such as Nd:YAG laser, photodynamic therapy, and brachytherapy for the treatment of intraluminal tumor has been reported previously. Bronchoscopic treatment can be used to treat small intraluminal tumor with curative intent, such as in patients with roentgenologically occult squamous cell cancer. In a retrospective study, we showed that bronchoscopic treatment provided excellent local control with surgical proof of cure in 6 of 11 patients with intraluminal typical bronchial carcinoid. METHODS In a prospective study, 19 patients (8 women and 11 men) with resectable intraluminal typical bronchial carcinoid have undergone bronchoscopic treatment under general anesthesia. Median age was 44 years (range, 20-74 years). If tumor persisted after 2 bronchoscopic treatment sessions, surgery was performed within 4 months after the treatment. RESULTS Bronchoscopic treatment was able to completely eradicate tumor in 14 of the 19 patients (complete response rate 73%, 95% CI: 49%-91%). Median follow-up of these patients is 29 months (range, 8-62 months). One patient had severe cicatricial stenosis after bronchoscopic treatment, and sleeve lobectomy was necessary. No residual carcinoid was found in the resected specimen. In the remaining 5 patients, bronchoscopic treatment did not result in a complete response and radical surgical resection was performed afterward with confirmation of residual carcinoid in the resected specimen. Median follow-up of the surgical group is 34 months (range, 12-62 months). CONCLUSIONS Current data suggest that bronchoscopic treatment may be an effective alternative to surgical resection in a subgroup of patients with resectable intraluminal typical bronchial carcinoid. It alleviated the necessity of surgical resection in 68% (95% CI: 43%-87%) of the patients.

Photodynamic therapy in lung cancer. A review

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) in lung cancer was introduced in 1980 to treat tumours located in the major airways. After systemic injection of photosensitizers, tumour illumination is performed using a laser fibre to transmit light of a specific wavelength. PDT can be performed under local anaesthesia using the flexible fibreoptic bronchoscope. Skin photosensitivity is the most important treatment morbidity caused by the prolonged cutaneous retention of photosensitizer molecules. Ample data have shown that PDT is effective in obtaining tumour necrosis, but the skin photosensitivity issue limits its palliative potential. Moreover, competing bronchoscopic techniques, such as electrosurgery, Nd-YAG laser and brachytherapy, are available and seem to be equally palliative for the debulking of intraluminal obstructive lung tumours. The curative potential of PDT in patients with roentgenologically occult lung cancer is the most interesting aspect of this treatment modality. A significant number of patients with lung cancer have limited pulmonary function. A normal tissue sparing treatment such as PDT may provide an alternative, as patients may also have subsequent multiple lung cancer primaries. Since early lung cancer detection is now becoming feasible, PDT may be applied to treat roentgenologically occult tumours with curative intent. This may optimize treatment efficacy in the near future.

Fluorescence bronchoscopy for early detection of lung cancer: A clinical perspective

The conventional method of bronchoscopy has only a 30% sensitivity to detect early stage cancer in the central airways. For patients with positive sputum cytology who clearly harbor early cancers, repeat and lengthy sessions of bronchoscopies are required for accurate localization of these lesions. This leads to a significant delay in obtaining the diagnosis, postponing an appropriate treatment and reduces the chance for cure. There are valid reasons for improving the detection rate of early stage lung cancers. The number of individuals at risk forms a large population, the outcome of patients treated with early stage cancer has been shown to be better and bronchoscopic treatments, e.g. photodynamic therapy and electrocautery, are currently alternatives for surgical resection. Finding more early stage cancers by screening the population at risk and accurate staging to enable treatment at the earliest stage feasible, may improve the dismal prognosis of many patients. This article deals with the clinical background and current problems in early detection of lung cancer and discusses our expectations regarding new developments in bronchoscopy for early detection, accurate staging and treatment of lung cancer.

Fluorescence bronchoscopy for early detection of lung cancer

The conventional method of bronchoscopy has only a 30% sensitivity to detect early stage cancer in the central airways. For patients with positive sputum cytology who clearly harbor early cancers, repeat and lengthy sessions of bronchoscopies are required for accurate localization of these lesions. This leads to a significant delay in obtaining the diagnosis, postponing an appropriate treatment and reduces the chance for cure. There are valid reasons for improving the detection rate of early stage lung cancers. The number of individuals at risk forms a large population, the outcome of patients treated with early stage cancer has been shown to be better and bronchoscopic treatments, e.g. photodynamic therapy and electrocautery, are currently alternatives for surgical resection. Finding more early stage cancers by screening the population at risk and accurate staging to enable treatment at the earliest stage feasible, may improve the dismal prognosis of many patients. This article deals with the clinical background and current problems in early detection of lung cancer and discusses our expectations regarding new developments in bronchoscopy for early detection, accurate staging and treatment of lung cancer.

Response and Pattern of Failure After Photodynamic Therapy for Intraluminal Stage I Lung Cancer

AbstractPhotodynamic therapy (PDT) causes selective tumor damage and has been shown to be effective in the treatment of early-stage lung cancer. Thirty patients, with 39 intraluminal cancer lesions, who were considered to be high-risk surgical candidates, were treated with PDT. A complete response a

Multiple suspicious lesions detected by autofluorescence bronchoscopy predict malignant development in the bronchial mucosa in high risk patients

Autofluorescence bronchoscopy (AFB) has been shown to be sensitive to detect preneoplastic lesions in central airways. Apart from bronchial mucosa thickness, tissue autofluorescence is also related to the biochemical properties of the target cells. Genetic studies have shown molecular abnormalities to be present in histologically normal mucosal specimens. Forty-six high-risk individuals, free of micro-invasive cancer at the initiation of the study, were included in this analysis and have been subjected to repeat bronchoscopic examinations every 4-6 months. They had previous curatively treated lung cancer (n=18), ENT tumor (n=11) or were at risk to acquire lung cancer primaries (n=17). Baseline AFB is scored for each suspicious lesion, thus the total score represents the number of AFB suspicious lesions present in each individual at risk. Baseline AFB score was correlated to outcome, i.e. the development of squamous-cell cancer (SCC) in each individual. So far, 11/46 (24%) of the individuals acquired SCC. Follow up has been 12-80 months. All five individuals with >/=3 lesions (100%, 12-36 months), five of the ten (50%, 12-48 months) individuals who had two lesions and one among the 12 (8%, 36 months) individuals with one suspicious AFB lesion, developed SCC. Up till now (12-80 months), the remaining 19 individuals without any suspicious AFB lesion have not acquired SCC. The average AFB score for the group of individuals which developed SCC was significantly different (P<0.001) from the remaining individuals who did not acquire SCC (2.64+/-1.1 vs. 0.6+/-0.7 S.D.). The number of suspicious lesions at baseline AFB is a good predictor for the development of SCC in the individuals at risk in our study population. This finding is compatible with field carcinogenesis and warrants a more upfront use of AFB in a lung cancer screening to sift the different risk-cohorts in a population mainly at risk for developing metachronous lung cancer.

Bronchoscopic treatment of patients with intraluminal microinvasive radiographically occult lung cancer not eligible for surgical resection: a follow-up study

Bronchoscopic treatment (BT) has a curative potential for patients with intraluminal microinvasive radiographically occult lung cancer (ROLC). We report the long-term follow-up in a group of 32 patients, ineligible for surgery, in whom ROLC was diagnosed and treated with BT. Tumors were strictly <or=1 cm in size, intraluminally located in the central airways, with no bronchial wall invasion or extraluminal tumor growth on high resolution CT (HRCT), with visible distal margin under conventional and autofluorescence bronchoscopy (AFB). BT was given with curative intent and consecutive patients were treated with photodynamic therapy (five patients), Nd-YAG laser therapy (one patient), electrocautery (24 patients) and argon plasma coagulation (two patients). Follow-up evaluation at 3-4 months interval included HRCT scans, both conventional and AFB, including biopsies and brush cytology for histological evaluation. The average follow-up period was 5 years (range: 2-10 years). In three patients local recurrence was again successfully treated with electrocautery. Sixteen patients died during follow-up. Eight of the nine patients who died due to lung cancer had a previous resection of a more advanced stage lung cancer up to 5 years before BT of the ROLC. The remaining seven patients cause of death was not related to lung cancer. Sixteen patients are still alive without any tumor recurrence. These data showed that BT is an effective treatment modality for high-risk patients with ROLC, who are not eligible for surgical resection.

Results of two years expenience with fluorescence bronchoscopy in detection of preinvasive bronchial neoplasia.

The aim of the study was to determine whether use of fluorescence bronchoscopy improves the detection of preinvasive neoplastic bronchial lesions. The data of all patients who underwent fluorescence bronchoscopy and in whom bronchial biopsies were taken, were analyzed. Most patients were at risk for preinvasive lesions. A total of 174 bronchoscopies were performed in 95 patients. Of the 681 representative biopsies, 31 were found to be moderate dysplastic, 39 were found to be severe dysplastic and 9 exhibited carcinoma in situ. These 79 preinvasive lesions were found in 34 patients. The respective results of fluorescence bronchoscopy in addition to conventional bronchoscopy and of conventional bronchoscopy alone for detection of preinvasive lesions were: sensitivity 85% (67/79) and 59% (47/79); specificity 60% (351/581) and 85% (493/581); positive predictive values of 23% (67/297) and 35% (47/135); negative predictive values of 97% (351/363) and 94% (493/525). A separate analysis of only the first bronchoscopy of each patient showed similar results. Results of fluoresence bronchoscopy were better in the second part of the patient group. We conclude that after a learning period fluorescence bronchoscopy can increase the yield of finding preinvasive neoplastic lesions when used in addition to conventional bronchoscopy.