Endobronchial intratumoral chemotherapy (EITC) followed by surgery in early non-small cell lung cancer with polypoid growth,causing erroneous impression of advanced disease

Abstract

Background: Seventeen patients with (MO) non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) without distant metastasis were treated by preoperative endobronchial intratumoral chemotherapy (EITC) followed by surgery. Preoperative intratumoral. chemotherapy was performed for the purpose of either reducing the extent of resection or increasing operability. Clinically, in the preliminary diagnostic bronchoscopic examination, the tumor was located in the main stem bronchus closer than 2 cm to the carina [T3] in 12 patients, or at the level of carina or bulging towards the trachea [T4] in 5 patients. In this series of patients, the tumors were originally inoperable due to the inability to achieve a negative margin by standard pneumonectomy techniques. However, EITC rendered resection possible.