A non-surgical diagnostic procedure called endobronchial ultrasound is now available at The Valley Hospital’s Lung Cancer Center to help physicians determine optimal treatment plans for patients with lung cancer and other disorders of the lungs. Valley is one of only a handful of hospitals in northern New Jersey to offer the procedure.
Endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS), used in conjunction with a procedure called transbronchial needle aspiration, can replace the need for a surgical biopsy in many patients. Thoracic surgeons at Valley use these techniques to obtain tissue samples from the lungs or surrounding lymph nodes to diagnose and stage lung cancer. EBUS can also be used to detect lung infections or diagnose sarcoidosis, an inflammatory disease that can affect the lungs.
In the past, surgeons would have had to perform a procedure called mediastinoscopy, which requires an incision in the neck and the insertion of a specialized scope behind the breastbone in order to obtain these biopsies. Instead with EBUS, the surgeon inserts a modified bronchoscope with an ultrasound transducer on its tip into the patient’s mouth and guides it down the trachea while the patient is under general anesthesia. The ultrasound technology and the lighted scope enable the surgeon to locate and view the exact area to be biopsied. A fine needle specifically developed for this procedure is then inserted into the area, and tissue samples are retrieved for examination by a pathologist.
“The state-of-the-art endobronchial ultrasound technology we have at Valley enables us to view difficult-to-reach areas and access smaller lesions than would have been possible in the past with conventional biopsy procedures,” says Robert J. Korst, M.D., Director of Thoracic Surgery and Medical Director of The Valley Hospital Daniel and Gloria Blumenthal Cancer Center. “No incision is required, and the patient can go home within one to two hours.” To perform EBUS, Dr. Korst is joined in the operating room by thoracic surgeon Benjamin Lee, M.D., and a pathologist, who examines the samples as they are taken from the patient
“Endobronchial ultrasound allows us to obtain real-time results to determine if cancer is present and if it has spread into surrounding lymph nodes,” says Dr. Lee. “We can then develop a treatment plan.” If further samples must be obtained surgically, additional procedures can be performed immediately in the operating room while the patient is still anesthetized.
The Valley Hospital’s Lung Cancer Center provides integrated diagnostic, treatment, and management services for patients with malignancies of the lungs. In addition to EBUS, services include CT scanning, MRI, PET scanning, video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS), TomoTherapy radiation therapy, and targeted chemotherapy. The Center is participating in the International Early Lung Cancer Action Program (I-ELCAP), a screening project that aims to detect lung cancer early, when treatment is the most effective. I-ELCAP screenings have been shown to find at least 80 percent of lung cancers at stage I.
For more information about the Lung Cancer Center or to schedule an I-ELCAP screening, call 201-634-5538.
