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Original Research | Medical Science | Volume 15 Issue 6, June 2026 | Pages: 1568 - 1573 | India
Role of Bronchoscopy in Suspected Cases of Lung Malignancies at Tertiary Care Center
Abstract: Background: Bronchoscopy is a key diagnostic procedure for evaluating suspected lung malignancies, allowing direct visualization of the tracheobronchial tree and acquisition of tissue samples for pathological diagnosis. Objectives: To assess the diagnostic role of bronchoscopy in patients with suspected lung malignancy and evaluate the diagnostic yield of various bronchoscopic procedures in a tertiary care center. Methods: This hospital-based observational study was conducted at a tertiary care teaching hospital which included 88 patients with clinical and/or radiological suspicion of lung malignancy. Demographic characteristics, smoking history, clinical presentation, radiological findings, bronchoscopic findings, procedure-specific diagnostic yields, histopathological diagnoses, and final diagnostic outcomes were analyzed. Bronchoscopic procedures included bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL), endobronchial biopsy (EBB), transbronchial lung biopsy (TBLB), transbronchial needle aspiration (TBNA), and brush cytology. Results: The mean age of participants was 48.98 ? 17.10 years, with most patients belonging to the 61-70 year?s age group. Current or former smokers constituted 77.3% of the study population. CT thorax commonly demonstrated central masses (31.8%) and peripheral lesions (30.7%). Bronchoscopy established a malignant diagnosis in 58 patients (65.9%), while 15.9% had benign findings and 18.2% were inconclusive. Mucosal abnormalities showed a significant association with bronchoscopic diagnostic outcomes (p=0.023). Among bronchoscopic techniques, brush cytology demonstrated the highest malignant yield (61.5%), followed by TBLB (56.0%) and EBB (50.0%). Squamous cell carcinoma was the most common histopathological subtype (55.2%). Subsequent investigations identified additional malignancies, increasing the overall confirmed malignancy rate to 79.5%. Conclusion: Bronchoscopy is a safe, effective, and indispensable first-line diagnostic modality for suspected lung malignancy, providing high diagnostic yield and facilitating early histopathological confirmation, particularly when combined with complementary diagnostic investigations.
Keywords: Bronchoscopy, lung malignancy, Brush cytology, Bronchoscopic biopsy, Smoking
How to Cite?: Shreya, "Role of Bronchoscopy in Suspected Cases of Lung Malignancies at Tertiary Care Center", Volume 15 Issue 6, June 2026, International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR), Pages: 1568-1573, https://www.ijsr.net/getabstract.php?paperid=MR26628222116, DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.21275/MR26628222116