Air Flow Obstructions May Predict Lung Lesions

New research suggests that airflow obstructions determined by spirometry may predict premalignant lung lesions. Using a cohort of subjects who visited lung cancer screening clinics from 1996 to 2005, researchers from the Roswell Park Cancer Institute in New York analyzed the relationship between spirometric parameters of airflow obstruction and central premalignant lung lesions. All of the patients underwent simple spirometry, and 269 high-risk patients received autoflouorescence bronchoscopy with endobronchial biopsy of suspicious legions. In total, 61 biopsy results were normal, while 123 confirmed either early or invasive central lung cancer. Researchers also found that patients with FEV1 less than 70 percent were associated with almost twice the risk of detecting premalignant or malignant lesions. Researchers suggest that spirometry used with autofluorescence bronchoscopy is a potential marker for lung cancer surveillance.

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