Clinical Implications of Transbronchial Biopsy for Surgically-resected Non-small Cell Lung Cancer.

Background/aim: Lung biopsies might cause metastasis and/or dissemination. The aim of this study was to review our institutional experience and analyze the outcomes of resection for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), in patients who had received preoperative transbronchial biopsy using fiberoptic bronchoscopy with fluoroscopic imaging (BFS).

Patients And Methods: The medical records of consecutive patients between 2010 and 2015 were retrospectively reviewed. Patients were divided into two groups (BFS and Non-BFS). Overall survival (OS) curves and recurrence-free survival (RFS) curves were plotted using the Kaplan-Meier method. Cox regression analyses were used to evaluate the hazard ratio (HR) with the endpoint OS or RFS.

Results: We studied the medical records of 531 patients. The 5-year OS rate was 91.8% and 79.8%, in the BFS group and in the Non-BFS group, respectively (p<0.001). BFS was an independent factor associated with RFS HR=2.164 (95%CI=1.399-2.346).

Conclusion: Preoperative BFS is a prognostic factor in patients receiving surgery for NSCLC.