A narrative review of lung cancer cytology in the times of coronavirus: what physicians should know.

Abstract

In the modern era of personalized and precision medicine, lung cancer management needs to be carried out in a multidisciplinary manner. Among other disciplines, also cytopathology is key in diagnosis and treatment management of these patients. Indeed, cytopathology specimens are often the only source of available tissue material for morphological diagnosis and molecular purposes in order to guarantee an adequate treatment decision making, since surgical resection specimens are not available when lung cancer is diagnosed at advanced disease stages. Today, as an effect of the current severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic, cytopathology is reorganizing and reshaping many of its procedures and workflows, in order to ensure the safety of cytopathologists and laboratory personnel. In particular, careful attention should be paid on biosafety procedures when pulmonary cytological specimens are handled. In addition, also molecular cytopathology, that provides relevant information on the molecular status and on the potential sensitivity to target treatments, is undergoing major changes. In this setting, fully automated technologies, requiring minimal hands-on work, may be a valid option. The aim of this narrative review is to keep updated all the different professional figures involved in lung cancer management and treatment on how SARS-CoV-2 is modifying lung cancer cytopathology.