Biomarker Testing for Advanced Lung Cancer-Tissue is the Issue: Using EBUS to Acquire and Process Tissue for Biomarker Testing for Advanced Lung Cancer

Tissue is the Issue: Using EBUS to Acquire and Process Tissue for Biomarker Testing for Advanced Lung Cancer

Video Transcription

Video Summary

In this webinar, Dr. Nicholas Pastis discusses the use of endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS) with transbronchial needle aspiration (TBNA) for tissue collection in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) for biomarker testing. He highlights the importance of optimizing tissue collection techniques and collaboration with cytopathologists. He emphasizes that while EBUS is commonly used for diagnosis and staging, it is also a validated method for biomarker testing, including mutation analysis and PD-L1 testing. Dr. Pastis discusses the challenges involved in tissue sampling, including the invasiveness of the procedure, tumor heterogeneity, and the need for repeat biopsies. He also mentions the potential utility of liquid biopsy using circulating tumor DNA for biomarker testing in cases where invasive procedures are not feasible. Dr. Pastis provides insights into the impact of needle size and the use of forceps biopsies and cryoprobe biopsies as alternative techniques for tissue collection. He concludes by discussing the potential future applications of liquid biopsy and the need for further research and guidelines to optimize tissue collection and biomarker testing in NSCLC.

Keywords

endobronchial ultrasound

EBUS

transbronchial needle aspiration

TBNA

non-small cell lung cancer

biomarker testing

liquid biopsy

mutation analysis

PD-L1 testing

tissue collection