Navigating Lung Cancer Navigating Lung Cancer | Page 19

Tests used to look for and learn more about an abnormality on a screening include:
Chest X-rays. A chest X-ray is painless. Doctors look at your lungs and airways.
Chest X-rays can show spots (nodules) or other abnormal areas. There’s no way to tell
from an X-ray whether any are cancerous. If your chest X-ray looks suspicious, more
tests will be required..
CT scans. A CT scan (sometimes called a “CAT scan”) uses X-rays to create cross-
sectional pictures. They provide more detailed pictures of the size and location of
abnormalities found on a chest X-ray.
Positive-emission tomography (PET scan). In this test, a radioactive sugar is
injected. It provides data about whether something seen on a CT scan is metabolically
active (changing or growing). PET scans can tell if a tumor is spreading from the
primary site to other parts of the body.
Bronchoscopy. A bronchoscope is a thin, flexible tube that contains a tiny video
camera. The tube is passed through your nose or mouth. It goes down through your
windpipe (trachea) into your lungs. This allows the doctor, usually a pulmonologist or
thoracic surgeon, to see inside your air passages. They can take small tissue samples
(biopsies) and fluid samples. Samples are sent to a lab and checked for cancer.
Navigational Bronchoscopy. A kind of bronchoscopy that uses a GPS like
system to locate and biopsy lung nodules that are beyond the reach of conventional
bronchoscopy with safety and accuracy.
Endobronchial Ultrasound. This test is sometimes used during bronchoscopy.
It not only diagnoses lung cancer, but can also see if it has spread to the lymph
nodes (staging). The bronchoscope has a sound-wave probe on the end. Doctors
can locate and see masses and lymph nodes next to the airway, but not within the
lung. Doctors then use needles to sample the mass and/or lymph nodes to check for
cancer. Endobronchial ultrasound is not offered at all hospitals and medical centers.
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