Best first-line therapy for people with advanced non-small cell lung cancer, performance status 2 without a targetable mutation or with an unknown mutation status.

Background: Most people who are newly diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) have advanced disease. For these people, survival is determined by various patient- and tumor-related factors, of which the performance status (PS) is the most important prognostic factor. People with PS 0 or 1 are usually treated with systemic therapies, whereas people with PS 3 or 4 most often receive supportive care.

Sarcoidosis presenting with glazy mucoid sputum and dyspnea: a case report.

Background: Patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis commonly present with a dry cough; a productive cough suggests a complicating airway infection or an alternative diagnosis such as tuberculosis or bronchiectasis.

Case Presentation: A 36-year-old European (Frisian) woman recently diagnosed with pulmonary sarcoidosis presented with debilitating exertional dyspnea and cough productive of glazy mucoid sputum. Several different attempts including video-assisted thoracoscopic biopsies failed to reach a second or alternative diagnosis including an infectious, autoimmune or collagen-vascular condition.

Endosonography for lung cancer staging: predictors for false-negative outcomes.

Objectives: Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) guidelines recommend endosonography (endobronchial [EBUS] and/or transesophageal ultrasound [EUS]) as the initial step for mediastinal tissue staging. Identifying predictors for false negative results could help establish which patients should undergo confirmatory surgical staging.

Materials And Methods: 775 NSCLC patients staged negative by EBUS, EUS or combined EUS/EBUS were retrospectively analyzed.

Endosonography for the diagnosis of malignant lymphoma presenting with mediastinal lymphadenopathy.

Background: Endosonography combined with fine needle aspiration (FNA) is a minimally invasive technique for intrathoracic mediastinal nodal sampling. The value of endosonography with FNA for the diagnosis of malignant mediastinal lymphoma is under debate. In this study, the sensitivity and negative predictive value of endosonography for the assessment of primary versus recurrent malignant lymphoma were assessed.

Implementation of endoscopic ultrasound for lung cancer staging.

Background: EUS-guided FNA is currently advocated in lung cancer staging guidelines as an alternative for surgical staging to prove mediastinal metastases. To date, training requirements for chest physicians to obtain competency in EUS for lung cancer staging are unknown.

Objective: To test a training and implementation strategy for EUS for the diagnosis and staging of lung cancer.