Evidence map›Paper›PMID 28066604›Full record

ArticleJournal of thoracic disease2016

Shifted focus of bronchoalveolar lavage in patients with suspected thoracic malignancy: an analysis of 224 patients.

Xin Zhang, Yukun Kuang, Yuan Zhang, Kai He, Noah Lechtzin, Mingying Zeng, Rex C Yung, Canmao Xie

Open access · hybridAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of thoracic disease, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
1.0field-weighted citation impact, top 20% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed, 16 citations in OpenAlex.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.

Xin ZhangDepartment of Respiratory Medicine, the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China;; Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA;; Institute of Respiratory Diseases, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China.
Yukun KuangDepartment of Respiratory Medicine, the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China;; Institute of Respiratory Diseases, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China.
Yuan ZhangDepartment of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA;; Department of Respiratory Medicine, Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200433, China.
Kai HeDepartment of Medical Oncology, the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Noah LechtzinDepartment of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Mingying ZengDepartment of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Rex C YungDepartment of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA;; Greater Baltimore Medical Center, Towson, Maryland, USA.
Canmao XieDepartment of Respiratory Medicine, the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China;; Institute of Respiratory Diseases, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China.
Johns Hopkins University · USSun Yat-sen University · CNGreater Baltimore Medical Center · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundBronchoscopies are extensively adopted for diagnosing and staging thoracic malignancies, but studies are missing as how to keep the process streamlined and more efficient. To evaluate current role of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) for cancer and possible infection diagnosis when practicing comprehensive bronchoscopy for patients suspected with thoracic malignancy, and provide foundation for possible practice modification.

methodsWe retrospectively analyzed a prospectively kept database of immunocompetent patients undergoing bronchoscopy for suspected non-hematologic malignancies. Clinical, radiographic data, bronchoscopic sampling techniques and diagnostic results were recorded. Initially undiagnostic patients were followed up for 2 years for a definitive diagnosis.

resultsOf 224 patients included, 179 (79.9%) were confirmed with active thoracic malignancies. BAL diagnostic yield of cancer based on different radiographic characters of target lesion are as follow: isolated lymphadenopathies 0%, central lesions 45.5%, peripheral masses (diameter ≥3 cm) 21.4%, peripheral large nodules (2≤ diameter <3 cm) 15.8%, and peripheral small nodules (diameter <2 cm) 7.1%, while composite bronchoscopy achieved diagnostic yield of 93.3%, 95.5%, 91.7%, 76.9%, and 66.7% in corresponding lesion types. No cancer was diagnosed solely by BAL-cytology. Proportions of patients with positive BAL culture did not differ significantly between patients with and without pre-test suspicion for infections (P=0.199). In multivariable analysis, infections were associated with age ≥75 (OR 3.0; 95% CI: 1.29-7.06), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (OR 2.7; 95% CI: 1.14-6.26) and diabetes mellitus (DM) (OR 4.5; 95% CI: 1.90-10.44).

conclusionsOmitting BAL cytology in settings of comprehensive bronchoscopy may not compromise cancer diagnosis. For patients primarily suspected with thoracic malignancy, performing BAL culture only based on clinical suspicion could miss important infectious etiology.

Indexed as

bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL)bronchoscopylower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs)peripheral lung lesionThoracic malignancies

Identifiers

PMID28066604
PMCPMC5179462
OpenAlexW2558008266

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.