title: Diagnostic evaluation for interventional bronchoscopists and radiologists in lung cancer practice.
abstract: The global epidemic of lung cancer shows no signs of abating. It is generally accepted that accurate and cost-efficient diagnostic evaluation is the first important step to achieve the best outcomes of treatment. This is true in the context of disease confirmation, treatment planning, treatment monitoring, detection of and management of treatment failure or prognostication. Fortunately, major advances in the diagnostic evaluation of lung cancer have been made in the past three decades allowing more patients to get the appropriate treatment at the right time. This paper outlines how computed tomography, positron emission tomography/computed tomography and endobronchial ultrasound contribute to lung cancer management and discuss their strengths and weaknesses and their complimentary roles at different stages of lung cancer management. Due to financial constraint and reimbursement restrictions, not all clinically important advances in the diagnostic evaluation of lung cancer have been readily accepted into routine clinical care. This enforces the need to maintain ongoing dialogue between cancer clinicians, imaging specialists and health-care economists.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Oncology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.|Centre for Cancer Imaging, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: W F Eddie
authors.initials: WF
authors.lastname: Lau
authors.affiliation: Centre for Cancer Imaging, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Rob
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ware
authors.affiliation: Department of Pneumology and Critical Care Medicine Thoraxklinik and Translational Lung Resarch Center (TLRCH), Member of the German Lung Research Foundation (DZL), University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Felix J F
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Herth
mesh_terms: D001999:Bronchoscopy / Q000379:methods*; D019468:Disease Management; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography / Q000379:methods; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods
keywords: bronchoscopic surgical procedure; evidence-based health care; lung cancer; positron emission tomography scan; radiology