[Lung cancer screening and endoscopic approach of the pulmonary nodule]

Lung cancer screening corresponds to any investigation carried out to detect the presence of this type of cancer before the appearance of any symptomatology. According to the results of a large multicenter study in the US (NLST), American scientific societies are currently recommending the use of the CT Thoracic Scanner with a low dose of irradiation once a year for lung cancer screening in high-risk populations. European expert groups, for the most part, reserve their recommendations after publication of the results of a major European study (NELSON). As a corollary of screening campaigns, the management of lung nodules is likely to be more and more frequent in the targeted populations. This can be performed in different ways ranging from the less invasive, the CT Scanner follow-up, to the more invasive, the surgical resection. The endoscopic approach of the pulmonary nodule, whose results were so far limited, is actually regaining interest due to the contribution of new technologies in bronchial endoscopy.