Increasing use of bronchoscopic needle aspiration to diagnose small cell lung cancer.

OBJECTIVE

To review pathology reports to determine whether a temporal change in diagnostic procedures that included bronchoscopic needle aspiration (BNA) in evaluation of small cell lung cancer (SCLC) had occurred.

METHODS

A retrospective review of the computerized pathology database of the Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center from 1990 to 1998 was performed. All pathology reports of patients newly diagnosed with SCLC were reviewed and abstracted.

RESULTS

The number of patients newly diagnosed with SCLC during the 9-year study period totaled 277. Of these, 173 underwent bronchoscopy. From January 1990 to December 1991, 32% (8/25) of bronchoscopies done in patients with SCLC included BNA compared with 81% (120/148) (P < .001) from January 1992 to December 1998. In addition to the increased use of BNA in patients with SCLC undergoing bronchoscopy, the overall diagnostic yield for BNA in SCLC significantly increased over the 9-year study period from 50% (4/8) in 1990 and 1991 to 88% (106/120) thereafter (P = .001). Overall sensitivity of BNA during bronchoscopy was 86% for SCLC with only a small increase in sensitivity with use of all procedures (including BNA) to 91%. The use of forceps biopsy and bronchial brushings decreased over this period.

CONCLUSION

With progressive experience with BNA, the frequency of its performance and its diagnostic yield in patients with SCLC increased markedly. The SCLC yield may be a worthwhile marker of BNA program development.