Postoperative fluorescence bronchoscopic surveillance in non-small cell lung cancer patients.
BACKGROUND
Second lung primaries occur at a rate of 1% to 3% per patient-year after complete resections for non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC). Fluorescence bronchoscopy appears to be a sensitive tool for surveillance of the tracheobronchial tree for early neoplasias.


METHODS
Patients who were disease-free after complete resection of a NSCLC were entered into a fluorescence bronchoscopy surveillance program. All suspicious lesions were biopsied along with two areas of normal mucosa to serve as negative controls.


RESULTS
A total of 73 fluorescence bronchoscopies were performed after conventional bronchoscopy in 51 patients at a median of 13 months postresection. The majority (46 of 51) of patients had stage I or II NSCLC, whereas 10% (5 of 51) had stage IIIA. Three intraepithelial neoplasias and one invasive carcinoma were identified in 3 of 51 patients (6%), all current or former smokers. Of the four lesions identified, three were in the 20 patients with prior squamous cell carcinomas. No intraepithelial neoplasias were identified by white-light bronchoscopy, whereas two of three were detected by fluorescence examination. The one invasive cancer detected was apparent on both white-light and fluorescence bronchoscopic examinations.


CONCLUSIONS
Surveillance with fluorescence bronchoscopy identified lesions in 6% of postoperative NSCLC patients thought to be disease-free. Patients with prior squamous cell carcinomas appear to be a population that may warrant future prospective study of postoperative fluorescence bronchoscopic surveillance.
Weigel
T L
TL
Thoracic Surgery Service, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York 10021, USA. weigelt@mskcc.org
Kosco
P J
PJ
Dacic
S
S
Rusch
V W
VW
Ginsberg
R J
RJ
Luketich
J D
JD
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001999:Bronchoscopy / Q000379:methods*; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D005453:Fluorescence; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016609:Neoplasms, Second Primary / Q000175:diagnosis*; D011159:Population Surveillance; D011182:Postoperative Care