Related Experiment Video For Biopsy
Updated: Jul 10, 2026
Using 22C3 Anti-PD-L1 Antibody Concentrate on Biopsy and Cytology Samples from Non-small Cell Lung Cancer Patients
Published on: September 25, 2018
A comparison of pulmonologist-led biopsy techniques for histological subtyping and molecular profiling in
Parniya Arooj1, Maged Hassan2, Hem Rai1
1Interventional Pulmonology Service, University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust, Plymouth, UK.
Introduction:
Pulmonologist-led biopsy techniques are essential for lung cancer diagnosis and comprehensive profiling of actionable therapeutic targets. This study compares the diagnostic outcomes of these techniques in providing histological and therapeutic target information in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
Methods:
We retrospectively reviewed patients diagnosed with NSCLC from October 2014 to September 2021 who underwent flexible bronchoscopy (FOB), endobronchial ultrasound transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA), ultrasound-guided (USG) biopsies (neck, chest wall, lung, pleura), and local anaesthetic thoracoscopy (LAT). Primary outcomes included the adequacy of specimens across different diagnostic modalities for NSCLC subtyping and therapeutic target profiling, with completion of all requested tests. Secondary outcomes assessed factors predictive of achieving histological and molecular diagnosis.
Results:
Of 786 cases, 750 (95 %) had confirmed NSCLC histological diagnosis on biopsy specimens. Samples were sufficient for NSCLC subtyping in 89-100 % of cases, with NSCLC adenocarcinoma diagnosed in 60 %. EBUS-TBNA, USG biopsies, and LAT outperformed FOB endobronchial and USG neck node biopsies for subtyping (p < 0.001). Therapeutic target testing success ranged from 88 to 100 %, with higher failure rates in FOB (20-30 %) and neck node biopsies (18-19 %) compared to EBUS-TBNA (8.1 %) and other modalities (4-10 %). Successful completion in all requested tests was less likely in patients undergoing FOB and neck nodal biopsies.
Conclusions:
Pulmonologist-led biopsies yielded high success in histological profiling and identifying predictive biomarkers. However, endobronchial and neck node biopsies provided less complete diagnostic information compared to other modalities. This study demonstrates that pulmonologist-led standard biopsy techniques perform well in informing on treatment-predictive biomarkers for NSCLC.
