New Lung Cancer Diagnosis Tool Safe and Effective for Older Patients

Researchers have identified a new safe and effective tool to diagnose lung cancer in older patients.

Lung cancer is one of the most common types of cancer in the world and is the leading cause of cancer deaths in the U.S. Cigarette smoking is listed as major cause of lung cancer. Almost 50 percent of the patients with lung cancer are over 70 years of age when first diagnosed.  And studies have even highlighted that these older patients are less likely to receive complete and accurate diagnosis and treatment.

The study, led by researchers at the University of Manchester, identified a safe procedure to retrieve tissue samples from lung cancer patients and is safe for use in older patients too. The novel diagnosis tool helps doctors make accurate diagnosis and select an appropriate treatment.

To ensure that the patient receives the right treatment, it is very necessary to correctly assess the stage of the disease i.e. the rate at which their tumor is growing and spreading.

The use of non-invasive methods to check the spread of cancer to patients' lymph nodes have less sensitivity and until recently, general anaesthetic was used to obtain tissue samples. This method could not be tried on elderly patients as they have other existing conditions which restrict the use of general anaesthesia.

The new technique has been evaluated by researchers at the University Hospital of South Manchester NHS Foundation Trust and the University of Manchester. The new technique is endobronchial ultrasound needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA). This method is carried out under sedation while the patient is still conscious - using ultrasound they guide a sampling needle down the airway of the lungs.

Dr Richard Booton, who led the study, said: "We wanted to see if there were any differences between patients aged less than 70 years old and those older than 70, in terms of both the safety of the technique and how useful it was for diagnosis."

The researchers found that patients of all ages tolerated the procedure well, even those who were above 80 years of age. Also EBUS-TBNA was effective in assessing the rate of tumor spread to the lymph nodes.

"Being able to safely take tissue samples will also allow us to test for specific tumour sub-types and better decide the most appropriate treatment for each individual patient," added Dr Booton.

The finding was documented in Journal of Thoracic Oncology.