title: Ten-year Single Center Experience of Pulmonary Carcinoid Tumors and Diagnostic Yield of Bronchoscopic Biopsy.
abstract: Bronchoscopic biopsy of pulmonary carcinoid tumors has been controversial, and no study to date is dedicated to investigate diagnostic yield or safety. We reviewed our single center experience with pulmonary carcinoid tumors over a 10-year time period and assessed the diagnostic yield and safety of bronchoscopic biopsy of these tumors.
  
  
  
  A retrospective analysis was conducted of all bronchopulmonary carcinoid tumors from January 2003 through January 2014 for patients treated at or referred to our tertiary care facility, including patient and tumor characteristics, diagnostic yield, and complications of bronchoscopy.
  
  
  
  Forty-nine patients with bronchopulmonary carcinoid tumors were identified. 75.5 % of our patients were female, and the median age was 60.7 years. 85.7 % patients were white, and 53.1 % were smokers. 83.7 % had typical carcinoid tumors or tumorlets, and 85.7 % had centrally located tumors. The median tumor size was 2.0 cm. Thirty patients underwent bronchoscopy for diagnostic evaluation. 76.7 % were diagnosed via bronchoscopic biopsy. Bronchoscopic yield was calculated at 65.7 % yield, and two complications of moderate to severe bleeding occurred with no emergent thoracotomies, transfusions, or deaths. No other complications occurred from bronchoscopy.
  
  
  
  The diagnosis of pulmonary carcinoid tumors via bronchoscopic biopsy is safe and effective, and bronchoscopy is recommended as the initial diagnostic modality for these tumors.
authors.affiliation: Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 110 Paca St., 2nd Floor, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA. rdixon@medicine.umaryland.edu.
authors.forename: Renee K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Dixon
authors.affiliation: Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 110 Paca St., 2nd Floor, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA.
authors.forename: Edward James
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Britt
authors.affiliation: Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine and Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Giora A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Netzer
authors.affiliation: Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine and Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Loyola University, Chicago, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Majid
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Afshar
authors.affiliation: Division of Pathology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Allen
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Burke
authors.affiliation: Division of Pathology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Sandy
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Division of Diagnostic Radiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Jeudy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jean
authors.affiliation: Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 110 Paca St., 2nd Floor, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA.
authors.forename: Nirav G
authors.initials: NG
authors.lastname: Shah
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001706:Biopsy / Q000009:adverse effects; D001999:Bronchoscopy / Q000009:adverse effects; D002276:Carcinoid Tumor / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000473:pathology*; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D047368:Tumor Burden
keywords: Bronchoscopic yield; Bronchoscopy; Pulmonary carcinoid tumors