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Use of Electromagnetic Navigational Transthoracic Needle Aspiration E-TTNA for Sampling of Lung Nodules
Published on: May 23, 2015
Biopsy frequency and complications among lung cancer patients in the United States
Yichen Zhang1, Lizheng Shi1, Michael J Simoff2
1Department of Health Policy & Management, Tulane University, School of Public Health & Tropical Medicine, 1440 Canal Street, Suite 1900, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA.
Objective:
This study aimed to describe the frequency and distribution of biopsy procedures for patients diagnosed and treated for primary lung cancer.
Study Design:
Retrospective cohort study within an administrative database.
Materials & Methods:
This observational study used data from the IBM MarketScan® Databases between 2013 and 2015.
Results:
The total number of lung biopsies performed among eligible subjects was 32,814; an average of 1.7 biopsies per patient. Bronchoscopy and percutaneous approaches accounted for 95% of all procedures. Complication rates by procedure are remarkably similar irrespective of biopsy frequency.
Conclusion:
Nearly half (46%) of patients in this population experienced multiple biopsies prior to diagnosis. Further, biopsy choice or sequence in patients receiving multiple procedures was unpredictable.
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