Fiberoptic bronchoscopy in the diagnosis of lung cancer comparison of pre-and post-bronchoscopy sputa, washings, bruchings and biopsies.

Fiberoptic bronchoscopy (brushings, washings and biopsies) was performed and pre- and post-bronchoscopy sputum cytologies obtained on 70 patients with histopathologically proven lung cancer. Bronchoscopy, with its associated procedures performed in 52 patients with primary bronchogenic carcinoma, was diagnostic in 41 (79%). Of all the various methods of obtaining specimens, bronchial brushing and bronchial biopsy gave the highest percentage yield (67%). However, since brush specimens could be obtained from peripheral lesions under fluoroscopic guidance, a greater number of positive specimens were obtained by this procedure (34) than by forceps biopsy (25), making brushing more useful. Pre- and post-bronchoscopy sputa were positive and thus of value in two cases when brushing and biopsy were both negative. Bronchial washing did not add significantly to the yield of positives and could therefore be eliminated as an unnecessary cost-and time-consuming procedure. Fiberoptic bronchoscopy was not helpful in diagnosing mediastinal tumors (5), lung metastases (7) and bronchial adenomas (6).