Is bronchoscopy accurate for lung tumors?

Lung tumors are the most common tumor diseases in the respiratory system. They have a high incidence rate, a wide range of patients, and many causes. The symptoms are similar to those of many respiratory diseases, so they are often misdiagnosed. So, is bronchoscopy accurate for lung tumors?

Lung cancer is a type of cancer that starts in your lungs. Your lungs are two spongy organs in your chest that take in oxygen when you breathe in and release carbon dioxide when you breathe out.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in both men and women in this country. Lung cancer claims more lives each year than colon cancer, prostate cancer, ovarian cancer, and breast cancer combined.

People who smoke have the greatest risk of developing lung tumors, but lung tumors can also occur in people who have never smoked. The risk of developing lung tumors increases with how long and how much you smoke. If you quit smoking, even after many years of smoking, you can greatly reduce your chances of developing lung tumors.

symptom

Lung tumors usually do not cause signs and symptoms in their early stages. Signs and symptoms of lung tumors usually appear only when the disease is advanced.

Signs and symptoms of lung tumors can include:

A new cough that won't go away

Coughing up blood, even a small amount

Shortness of breath

Chest pain

hoarse

Not trying to lose weight

Bone pain

Headache

When to see a doctor

If you have any signs or symptoms that bother you on a long-term basis, make an appointment with your doctor.

If you smoke and can't quit, make an appointment with your doctor. Your doctor can suggest strategies for quitting, such as counseling, medications, and nicotine replacement products.

reason

Smoking causes most lung tumors - both in smokers and those exposed to secondhand smoke. But lung tumors also occur in people who have never smoked and in those who have never been exposed to secondhand smoke over a long period of time. In these cases, there may be no clear cause for the lung tumor.

How smoking causes lung cancer

Doctors believe that smoking damages the cells that line the lungs, which can cause lung tumors. When you inhale cigarette smoke, which is filled with carcinogens (cancer-causing substances), changes in the lung tissue begin almost immediately.

At first, your body may be able to repair this damage. But with each repeated exposure, the normal cells in your lungs become more and more damaged. Over time, the damage causes the cells to behave abnormally, and eventually cancer may develop.

Lung tumor types

Doctors divide lung tumors into two main types based on how their cells look under a microscope. Your doctor makes treatment decisions based on the main type of lung tumor you have.

Two general types of lung tumors include:

Small cell lung tumors. Small cell lung tumors occur almost exclusively in heavy smokers and are less common than non-small cell lung tumors.

Non-small cell lung tumors. Non-small cell lung tumors are a general term for several types of lung tumors that appear similar. Non-small cell lung tumors include squamous cell carcinoma, adenocarcinoma, and large cell carcinoma.

Bronchoscopy is an important means of examining lung tumors. Bronchoscopy can obtain pathological or cytological evidence to confirm lung tumors through tissue biopsy, brushing, flushing, needle aspiration, etc. For tumors growing in the central airways (central lung tumors), bronchoscopes can be used to directly observe the size, shape, surface flatness, rich blood vessels, lumen obstruction, tumor location, and the range of invasion of the tumor, and perform a biopsy or brushing of the tumor.

The following patients with lung tumors are not suitable for bronchoscopy:

1. Patients with severe pulmonary dysfunction should be examined after their pulmonary function has been properly corrected or under ECG monitoring and adequate oxygen supply.

2. Patients with cachexia or terminal tumors whose general condition is too poor and whose systemic condition is extremely exhausted cannot tolerate this examination.

3. Patients suspected of having aortic arch aneurysm may be at risk of aortic aneurysm rupture if bronchoscopy is performed.

4. Patients suspected of having lung tumors but accompanied by severe lung infection and high fever should be examined after the infection is controlled.

5. Patients suspected of having lung tumors but with active massive hemoptysis or uncorrectable bleeding tendency, such as severe coagulation disorder, uremia and severe pulmonary hypertension.

6. Severe superior vena cava obstruction syndrome: Many lung tumors compress or directly invade the superior vena cava due to tumor or enlarged lymph nodes, resulting in superior vena cava obstruction, blood cannot flow back, and facial swelling is very obvious. Fiberoptic bronchoscopy is very likely to cause laryngeal edema or severe bleeding.

7. Severe hypertension and arrhythmia, recent myocardial infarction or history of unstable angina.

Although lung tumors are scary, they can still be cured as long as they are discovered, diagnosed and treated early. In addition, after treatment of lung tumors, more attention should be paid to the prognosis to avoid recurrence. Dietary conditioning in life is also essential. If necessary, you can also use Chinese medicine to regulate your body, enhance your resistance and avoid recurrence of the disease.