surgical biopsies can be performed safely in selected patients with lung cancer at an advanced stage

surgical biopsies can be performed safely in selected patients with lung cancer at an advanced stage -

Researchers at UC Davis have determined that surgical biopsies can be performed safely in certain patients Lateran stage non-small cell lung cancer, which should improve access to drugs that target specific genetic mutations, such as the receptor for epidermal growth factor (EGFR).

results, which will be published in the July issue of The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery addresses a common problem in the treatment of advanced lung cancer :. insufficient tumor tissue available for molecular analysis, which is necessary before prescribing a targeted therapy

"We will allow more people to qualify for clinical trials, and ultimately that will provide value to the patient and access to treatment, they may not have had otherwise, "said the lead author of the study David T. Cooke, Associate Professor and head of the general thoracic surgery at UC Davis Medical Center.

In many cases of lung cancer at an advanced stage, the surgical biopsy is considered too dangerous, so the less invasive approaches are used, including fine needle aspiration and biopsies.

"With clinical trials of new targeted therapies, an exhausting level of testing is done," said Cooke. "With less invasive biopsies, sometimes the volume of collected cells are inadequate to the molecular test."

Cooke and colleagues retrospectively reviewed the records of 25 patients whose cases were reviewed at a conference of the multidisciplinary thoracic oncology clinic and who had known cancer or non-small cell lung stage IV suspected. All elected for surgical biopsies, most of which were made using the thoracic video-surgery, a procedure that requires general anesthesia, but only small incisions

Among the cases, five experienced a complication. three of them were minors. Surgical biopsy led to the identification of potentially targeted molecular information in 19 of 25 patients, and changed the treatment strategy in over half, with 10 of the 25 also determined eligible for listing in one trial targeted therapeutic clinic.

"patients who were examined in a multidisciplinary way and for whom less invasive biopsies are not likely to be successful, may be appropriate for a surgical biopsy, even in stage IV," concluded Cooke.

Cooke stressed that the approach should be used when the case was examined by a team of experts, including a pulmonologist, radiologist, surgeon and medical oncologist, and the best biopsy strategy is selected.

"I think this will change the game," he said. "It will allow thoracic surgeons to work closely with the multidisciplinary tumor boards and be participative in the care of patients lung cancer end of the line."