Soins de support en oncologie thoracique : bronchoscopie interventionnelle: Supportive care in thoracic oncology: interventional bronchoscopy

Abstract

Lung cancer remains a public health problem despite recent therapeutic advances which have improved its prognosis. Proximal airway obstruction is present in about a third of lung cancers. Clinical outcomes of this obstruction are variable but can be life-threatening, and often delay the continuation or initiation of specific treatments of lung cancer (chemotherapy, immunotherapy, radiotherapy, etc.). Rigid bronchoscopy under general anesthesia is the tool of choice to obtain rapid desobstruction of airways with immediate clinical improvement. Insertion of endobronchial stents provides a complement to this treatment by helping to maintain airway patency in cases of external compression. Interventionnal rigid bronchoscopy extends survival of the patient compared to the course of the disease if no interventional treatment is done on airways obstruction. Since 2019 a french prospective cohort is online and allows to collect datas on volume, results, morbidity, and mortality of rigid bronchoscopy in cancers; it is named “Epigelf”. Recent improvements in treatment of pulmonary cancer have changed the prognosis of the disease; in this context rigid bronchoscopy should be included in therapeutic strategy.© 2021 SPLF. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.