Early detection of lung cancer

In recent years, many people have been tortured by lung cancer, struggling in pain, and bringing mental pressure and burden to their families. So what tests do suspected lung cancer patients need to do to confirm the diagnosis? Let me explain this knowledge to you.

1. X-ray examination

X-ray examination can reveal the location and size of lung cancer, and may reveal local emphysema or atelectasis caused by bronchial obstruction, or infiltrative lesions or pulmonary inflammation adjacent to the lesion.

2. Bronchoscopy

Bronchoscopes can be used to directly observe the pathological changes in the bronchial lining and lumen. Tumor tissue can be taken for pathological examination, or bronchial secretions can be aspirated for cytological examination to confirm the diagnosis and determine the histological type.

3. Cytological examination

Sputum cytology is a simple and effective method for lung cancer screening and diagnosis. Most patients with primary lung cancer can find detached cancer cells in their sputum. The positive rate of sputum cytology for central lung cancer can reach 70% to 90%, while the positive rate for sputum cytology for peripheral lung cancer is only about 50%.

4. Exploratory thoracotomy

If the nature of the lung mass cannot be determined after multiple examinations and short-term diagnostic treatment, and the possibility of lung cancer cannot be ruled out, exploratory thoracotomy should be performed. This can avoid delaying the disease and causing lung cancer patients to lose the opportunity for early treatment.

5.ECT examination

ECT bone imaging can detect bone metastases at an early stage. Both X-rays and bone imaging have positive findings. If the osteogenic reaction in the lesion is quiescent and the metabolism is inactive, the bone imaging will be negative and the X-ray will be positive. The two complement each other and can improve the diagnosis rate. It should be noted that the false positive rate of ECT bone imaging in diagnosing lung cancer bone metastasis can reach 20 to 30 percent, so those with positive ECT bone imaging need to undergo MRI scans of the bones in the positive area.

6. Mediastinoscopy

Mediastinoscopy is mainly used for patients with mediastinal lymph node metastasis who are not suitable for surgical treatment and cannot obtain pathological diagnosis by other methods. Mediastinoscopy needs to be performed under general anesthesia. A transverse incision is made in the concave part of the sternum, and the soft tissue in the front of the neck is bluntly separated to reach the pretracheal space. The pretracheal passage is bluntly freed, and an observation scope is placed and slowly passed behind the innominate artery to observe the enlarged lymph nodes beside the trachea, tracheobronchial angle and under the carina. The lymph node tissue is dissected and peeled with special biopsy forceps for pathological examination.

If you suspect you have lung cancer, go to a regular hospital for a checkup and diagnosis. Don't be careless. If you are diagnosed with lung cancer, you must receive timely treatment, because early lung cancer can be cured, but late lung cancer is more difficult to treat; if not, getting a checkup will also relieve your mental burden.