Differences in pathological diagnoses between bronchoscopic tissue and resected specimens of non-small cell lung cancer: A retrospective single center study

preprint OA: closed
Full text JSON View at publisher
AI-generated summary by claude@2026-07, 2026-07-17

This study found a 10.5% pathological revision rate when comparing preoperative bronchoscopic lung cancer diagnoses with resected specimens, potentially impacting PD-L1 evaluation.

One-sentence paraphrase of the abstract; not a substitute for reading it. No clinical advice. How this works

AI-generated deep summary by claude@2026-07, 2026-07-17 · read from full text

This retrospective single-center study evaluated 126 non-small cell lung cancer patients who underwent preoperative bronchoscopy (forceps biopsy, brushing, and/or EBUS-TBLB) before surgery, comparing diagnoses from bronchoscopic specimens with revised diagnoses from resected specimens, and examining potential impact on PD-L1 measurement using PD-L1 22C3 pharmDx with Tumor Proportion Score. Bronchoscopy yielded a definitive cancer diagnosis in 45.2% of cases, and the pathological revision rate in those with definitive bronchoscopic diagnoses was 10.5% (6 cases), including preoperative-to-postoperative shifts among several NSCLC histologic subtypes; the authors also report that PD-L1 was measurable in only a subset of revised cases (e.g., 1/11 could not be measured). The explicit caveats include small numbers for PD-L1 testing and the single-center, retrospective design limiting generalizability. The paper does not explicitly discuss endometriosis or adenomyosis; it was included in the corpus via a keyword match in the upstream search index.

Read from the paper's body, not the abstract. Not a substitute for reading the paper. No clinical advice. How this works

Abstract

Abstract Background Immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) combination chemotherapy has been used as preoperative and postoperative treatment for resectable non-small cell lung cancer. Programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-L1) is a biomarker that predicts the therapeutic effect of ICIs. In lung cancer, it is evaluated using the Tumor Proportion Score. Tumors are heterogeneous, and if the amount of collected tissue is small, the location of the tissue may affect the diagnosis. We evaluated the revision rate of the resected specimens and considered its impact on PD-L1 measurement. Methods Over 5 years, 237 cases of non-small cell lung cancer underwent surgery. Of these, 126 cases underwent preoperative bronchoscopy. Bronchoscopy included forceps biopsy, brushing, and bronchoalveolar lavage. Endoscopic ultrasound was used for peripheral lesions. Cases in which cancer was diagnosed from bronchoscopic specimens were considered to have a definitive diagnosis. Simultaneous multiple small cell and non-small cell lung cancer were identified. Cases of small cell lung cancer were excluded from analyses. Results Bronchoscopy diagnosed cancer in 45.2% of cases. The revision rate of pathological diagnosis in resected specimens was 10.5%. Cases diagnosed as adenosquamous carcinoma, large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma, large cell carcinoma, spindle cell carcinoma, or pleomorphic carcinoma in resected specimens may have been revised from the diagnosis based on preoperative bronchoscopic specimens. In this study, 19.8% of cases were pathological stage 0-IA2 with T factors 2 cm or less, and the diagnostic rate by bronchoscopic examination was low at 16%. PD-L1 testing was measured in 11 cases using bronchoscopic specimens, one of which could not be measured because there was no evaluable tumor. Conclusions In this study, the pathological revision rate was 10.5% when comparing preoperative bronchoscopic specimens with resected specimens, which may have had an impact on PD-L1 evaluation.
Full text 95,783 characters · extracted from preprint-html · click to expand
Differences in pathological diagnoses between bronchoscopic tissue and resected specimens of non-small cell lung cancer: A retrospective single center study | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Differences in pathological diagnoses between bronchoscopic tissue and resected specimens of non-small cell lung cancer: A retrospective single center study Yusuke Nabe, Yohei Honda, Hiroshi Mizuuchi, Masaaki Inoue, Junichi Yoshida This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-4721952/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Background Immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) combination chemotherapy has been used as preoperative and postoperative treatment for resectable non-small cell lung cancer. Programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-L1) is a biomarker that predicts the therapeutic effect of ICIs. In lung cancer, it is evaluated using the Tumor Proportion Score. Tumors are heterogeneous, and if the amount of collected tissue is small, the location of the tissue may affect the diagnosis. We evaluated the revision rate of the resected specimens and considered its impact on PD-L1 measurement. Methods Over 5 years, 237 cases of non-small cell lung cancer underwent surgery. Of these, 126 cases underwent preoperative bronchoscopy. Bronchoscopy included forceps biopsy, brushing, and bronchoalveolar lavage. Endoscopic ultrasound was used for peripheral lesions. Cases in which cancer was diagnosed from bronchoscopic specimens were considered to have a definitive diagnosis. Simultaneous multiple small cell and non-small cell lung cancer were identified. Cases of small cell lung cancer were excluded from analyses. Results Bronchoscopy diagnosed cancer in 45.2% of cases. The revision rate of pathological diagnosis in resected specimens was 10.5%. Cases diagnosed as adenosquamous carcinoma, large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma, large cell carcinoma, spindle cell carcinoma, or pleomorphic carcinoma in resected specimens may have been revised from the diagnosis based on preoperative bronchoscopic specimens. In this study, 19.8% of cases were pathological stage 0-IA2 with T factors 2 cm or less, and the diagnostic rate by bronchoscopic examination was low at 16%. PD-L1 testing was measured in 11 cases using bronchoscopic specimens, one of which could not be measured because there was no evaluable tumor. Conclusions In this study, the pathological revision rate was 10.5% when comparing preoperative bronchoscopic specimens with resected specimens, which may have had an impact on PD-L1 evaluation. Bronchoscopy Surgery Non-small cell lung cancer Programmed death-ligand 1 Figures Figure 1 Background Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have been used as neoadjuvant and adjuvant treatments for resectable lung cancer (1, 2). The CheckMate 816 Clinical Trials showed that nivolumab combined chemotherapy improved the long-term clinical outcomes of patients with resectable stage IB to IIIA non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) compared with chemotherapy alone (hazard ratio for disease recurrence or death = 0.63), and the pathological complete response rate was 24.0% (95% confidence interval 18.0–31.0) regardless of resection [ 1 ]. The IMpower010 study showed a disease-free survival benefit with atezolizumab as supportive therapy after adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with resected stage II-IIIA NSCLC, with a notable benefit in the subgroup of tumors expressing programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-L1) and with a Tumor Proportion Score (TPS) ≥ 1% [ 2 ]. Because ICI therapy is now incorporated into preoperative treatment, the importance of preoperative pathological diagnosis is gradually increasing. Furthermore, as the indications for ICI therapy expand, the importance of PD-L1 evaluation is also increasing. The diagnostic yield of transbronchial lung biopsy (TBLB) for malignant diagnoses is 25.16% with a diagnostic accuracy of 87.74% [ 3 ]. Radial endobronchial ultrasound (R-EBUS) has a high diagnostic yield in peripheral lung lesions, particularly in those with malignant lesions > 2 cm that are associated with computed tomography (CT) endobronchial signs and in those where the R-EBUS probe is inserted within the lesion (as opposed to being adjacent to the lesion) [ 3 ]. However, the amount of tumor that can be extracted by bronchoscopy is smaller than that obtained by surgery. The assessment of PD-L1 is essential when administering ICIs. At least 100 tumor cells are required to assess PD-L1 expression [ 4 , 5 ], and PD-L1 expression may be underestimated in specimens older than 3 years [ 5 , 6 ]. Therefore, it is important to perform the test at the appropriate time and with the appropriate tissue. In our hospital, we have encountered cases in which the pathological diagnosis of the bronchoscopic specimen obtained preoperatively was revised in the resected specimen after surgery for NSCLC. We evaluated the revision rate of the resected specimens and considered its impact on PD-L1 measurement with a literature review. Methods Of 237 surgical cases diagnosed with NSCLC at our hospital between January 1, 2019 and December 31, 2023, 126 cases in which bronchoscopy was performed before surgery were included. Two cases in which bronchoscopy was performed at other hospitals were also included. Information was collected retrospectively from electronic medical records. Two cases of simultaneous multiple lung cancer, small cell lung cancer and NSCLC, were identified. One of the cases was diagnosed with small cell lung cancer by preoperative bronchoscopic examination. In this case, a diagnosis of NSCLC was not obtained, so the preoperative diagnosis was deemed to be inconclusive because it was determined that only the components of small cell lung cancer were collected by bronchoscopy. A flowchart of the cases is shown in Fig. 1 . Cases diagnosed as cancer, regardless of histology, were considered diagnosed. Although the histological type of NSCLC was unknown, cases with a diagnosis of carcinoma were included in the group with a definite diagnosis. Suspected cases, and cases with an unclear diagnosis of benign or malignant cancer were classified as undiagnosed. [Figure 1 near here] Bronchoscopic equipment and specimen handling The bronchoscope equipment used were an Olympus CV-290, Evis X1 CV-1500, BF-P290, and BF-1TQ290 manufactured by Olympus Corporation (Tokyo, Japan). Specimens collected with the use of a bronchoscope were immediately fixed in 10% neutral buffered formalin and used for pathological analysis. The pathology staff injected 10% neutral buffered formalin into specimens after we removed specimens, immediately. Bronchoscopic biopsies were performed using different instruments and sampling methods: transbronchial biopsy forceps, transbronchial brush, and radial probe endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial lung biopsy (EBUS-TBLB). Cases with a definite diagnosis were considered cancer based on cytology or histology. PD-L1 evaluation method PD-L1 testing was outsourced to an LSI Medience Corporation(Tokyo, Japan), and the antibody used was PD-L1 22C3 pharmDx. Results The backgrounds of the patients in this study are shown in Table 1 . Thoracoscopic surgery was performed in 88.9% (112/126) of cases, and 75% (9/12) of open chest surgery cases were treated before surgery. There were two other cases, one of which underwent bronchoscopic laser ablation, and the other underwent left cervical lymph node biopsy. Table 1 Background of patients in this study. Patient background n = 126 Age, years (Median) 73 ( 49–90) Sex Male 73 Female 53 Procedure Lobectomy 110 Segmentectomy 4 Partial resection 8 Others 4 Approach VATS 112 Thoracotomy 12 Others 2 Complete resection R0 100 R1 10 R2 14 others 2 Pathological stage 0 8 8th Edition of the UICC IA 24 IB 20 IIA 8 IIB 29 IIIA 14 IIIB 8 IIIC 1 IVA 9 IVB 3 Tissue type (surgical specimen) Sq 28 Ad 87 AdSq 2 Pleo 3 LCNEC 2 Large cell carcinoma 1 Spindle cell carcinoma 1 other 2 Recurrence Yes 27 No 84 Outcome Survival 98 Death from other illnesses 13 Death from underlying disease 15 Observation period (Median) Month 27 (0–59) UICC: Union for International Cancer Control; AdSq: Adenosquamous carcinoma; LCNEC: Large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma; Ad: Adenocarcinoma; Sq: Squamoous cell carcinoma; Pleo: Pleomorphic carcinoma Bronchoscopic examination provided a definitive diagnosis for 57 of 126 cases (45.2%). Bronchoscopic examination included three cases where it was difficult to determine whether the tumor was benign or malignant, one case where atypical cells were found, and one case where small cell lung cancer was diagnosed. Other details of resected pathology included two cases where no tumor cells were found because of preoperative treatment. [Table 1 near here] Of the 57 cases in which a pathological diagnosis was made by bronchoscopy, the diagnosis was revised in six cases (10.5%) based on the resection specimen (Table 2 ). There were two cases of squamous cell carcinoma to adenosquamous carcinoma (AdSq), one case of NSCLC to large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (LCNEC), one case of adenocarcinoma to large cell carcinoma, one case of NSCLC to spindle cell carcinoma, and one case of squamous cell carcinoma (Sq) to pleomorphic carcinoma. Of the six cases in which the diagnosis was revised after surgery, two had PD-L1 assayed using bronchoscopic specimens, one of which ended in death from the underlying disease. Table 2 A list of cases in which the diagnosis differed before and after surgery Cases Sex Age (years) Pathology (bronchoscopic) Procedure Postoperative pathology TNM Pathological stage PD-L1(%) BF / Ope R Outcome ① M 61 Non-small cell lung carcinoma VATS LLL Large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma pT2aN0M0 IB N / N 0 Alive ② M 52 Non-small cell lung carcinoma oRUL Spindle cell carcinoma ypT2bN0M0 IIA 100 / N 0 Alive ③ M 70 Squamous cell carcinoma oRUL + Br plasty Pleomorphic carcinoma pT2bN1M0 IIB N / N 0 Alive ④ F 67 Squamous cell carcinoma VATS RLL Adenosquamous carcinoma pT4N0M0 IIIA N / 1 ~ 24 0 Alive ⑤ M 71 Adenocarcinoma VATS LUL Large cell carcinoma pT4N2M0 IIIB N / 95 0 Alive ⑥ M 74 Squamous cell carcinoma VATS RLL Adenosquamous carcinoma pT4N0M0 IIIA 1 ~ 24 / N 1 Death TNM: Tumor, Nodes, Metastasis; VATS: Video-assisted thoracic surgery; LLL: Left lower lobectomy; oRUL: Open right upper lobectomy; Br plasty: Bronchoplasty; RLL: Right lower lobectomy; LUL: Left upper lobectomy; N: Not measured; BF: Bronchoscopy; Ope; Operation [Table 2 near here] The diagnostic yield by pathological stage using bronchoscopy is shown in Table 3 . Of the 57 cases in which a diagnosis was obtained, cervical lymph node metastasis and LN#4R lymph node metastasis were classified as "other" because of postoperative recurrence or metastasis after treatment. Table 3 Bronchoscopy diagnostic rate by pathological stage Pathological stage BF (%) n = 126 0 25 (2/8) IA 16.7 (4/24) IB 40 (8/20) IIA 37.5 (3/8) IIB 62.1 (18/29) IIIA 71.4 (10/14) IIIB 50 (4/8) IIIC 0 (0/1) IVA 55.6 (5/9) IVB 33.3 (1/3) 0-IA2 16.0 (4/25) IA3-IVB 51.5 (51/99) Others a 100 (2/2) Total 45.2 (57/126) a Two cases of recurrence and metastasis. BF: Bronchoscopy In our hospital, early lung cancer (p-Stage 0-IA2, with a tumor diameter 2 cm or less) accounted for 19.8% (25/126) of all cases, with a diagnosis rate of 16%. The diagnosis rate for cases of p-Stage IA3 or higher was 51.5%. [Table 3 near here] PD-L1 was measured in 60 cases overall: 11 from bronchoscopic specimens and 49 from resection specimens. The PD-L1 expression in bronchoscopic and surgical specimens is summarized in Table 4 . PD-L1 could not be assessed by bronchoscopy in 9.1% (1/11) of cases because of the absence of assessable tumor cells. PD-L1 was assessable in all cases with surgical specimens. Table 4 PD-L1 expression in bronchoscopic and surgical specimens. PD-L1; TPS BF (%) n = 11 Ope (%) n = 49 < 1% 0 (0/11) 20.4 (10/49) 1–49% 54.5 (6/11) 46.9 (23/49) ≥ 50% 36.4 (4/11) 32.6 (16/49) No assessable tumor cells 9.1 (1/11) 0 (0/49) TPS: Tumor Proportion Score; BF: Bronchoscopy; Ope: Operation Among the 126 cases, there was no overlap in PD-L1 testing between bronchoscopic and surgical specimens. PD-L1 was measured in 11 bronchoscopic specimens and 49 surgical specimens. [Table 4 near here] Discussion The most common diagnostic methods for NSCLC are bronchoscopy, CT-guided needle biopsy, and surgery. Bronchoscopy, which is less invasive, is generally the first choice. CT-guided needle biopsy was associated with symptomatic air embolism in 0.08% of cases, and 32.7% of symptomatic patients with air embolism suffered from sequelae or died [ 7 ]. In addition, CT-guided needle biopsy for malignant lung tumors in contact with the pleura resulted in pleural dissemination in 11% of cases [ 8 ]. CT-guided needle biopsy for early-stage lung cancer is not generally chosen because of the risk of cancer dissemination, where complete surgical resection is impossible. Diagnosis by surgery requires general anesthesia, which has a mortality rate of 0.5% and frequency of complications of 9.6% [ 9 ]. The mortality rate of bronchoscopy is 0.003%[ 10 ], and that of CT-guided biopsy is 0.07% [ 11 ]. Surgical diagnosis is more invasive than bronchoscopy or CT-guided biopsy. Other complications specific to surgery include postoperative pain, pneumonia, pulmonary fistula, bronchial fistula, and lymphatic fistula. Therefore, the indications for surgical biopsy are limited. Surgical biopsy is selected for patients in good general condition in cases where a diagnosis is difficult to achieve using bronchoscopy, CT-guided biopsy, and other minimally invasive tests such as sputum cytology and pleural effusion cytology. However, even if cancer is diagnosed by cytology, it may be difficult to assess PD-L1 expression or related genes because the amount of tumor cells is small. Although some diagnostic items can be tested using cell blocks from pleural effusion, they do not encompass the entire tumor, so they are not suitable for the accurate evaluation of the TPS. The diagnostic accuracy of TBLB and CT-guided biopsy for malignant tumors was reported to be 70.6–87.74% [ 6 , 8 ] and 91.61% [ 6 ], respectively, whereas the diagnostic rate of surgery was reported to be 100% [ 9 ]. Bronchoscopy is less invasive than surgery and has a lower risk of cancer seeding and air embolism than CT-guided biopsy, but its diagnostic rate is lower. However, the diagnostic rate has been improved by ultrasound bronchoscopy, but it is difficult to diagnose cases in which the tumor is not exposed in the bronchus or small peripheral lesions. In this study, the diagnostic rate of bronchoscopy was 45.2%. One of the reasons for the low diagnostic rate might be that, because surgical cases were the focus, many cases of early lung cancer and small peripheral lesions were included. The diagnostic sensitivity of peripheral lung cancer with a tumor diameter less than 2 cm was reported to be 34% [ 12 ]. In our hospital, early-stage lung cancer (p-Stage 0-IA2) accounted for 19.8% of all cases. All p-Stage 0-IA2 cases had tumors less than 2 cm in diameter, and the bronchoscopic diagnostic rate at our hospital was 16%. This rate is lower than the diagnostic rate of general bronchoscopic procedures. In this study, the difference in diagnosis between bronchoscopic specimens and surgical biopsies was 10.5%. Adenosquamous carcinoma, large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma, large cell carcinoma, spindle cell carcinoma, and pleomorphic carcinoma exhibited heterogeneous histological images, which makes their accurate evaluation difficult by preoperative bronchoscopic examination. Cancer is heterogeneous, and bronchoscopic specimens can only evaluate a small portion of the tumor; therefore, an accurate diagnosis cannot be made. Test items evaluated by TPS, such as PD-L1, cannot be evaluated correctly because only a portion of the tumor is reflected in tissues collected by bronchoscopic examination. Previous studies reported no difference in the expression rate of PD-L1 before and after surgery [ 13 – 15 ]. The concordance rate of TPS between biopsy and surgical materials was reported to be 86.7% [ 16 ]. With heterogeneous tumor cell populations, it is difficult to evaluate the overall tumor picture by preoperative testing. In cases where preoperative and postoperative diagnoses differ, as in this study, the evaluation of PD-L1 may also change. Depending on the histological type of tumor in which PD-L1 is measured, the entire tumor cannot be evaluated, so bronchoscopy may not be able to accurately evaluate the TPS. In addition, PD-L1 may not be evaluated if the amount of specimen collected is small. In this study, PD-L1 could not be measured in one case of bronchoscopic specimen. For resectable NSCLC, the most accurate method to accurately evaluate the TPS is the measurement of PD-L1 immediately after surgery in surgical specimens with a large tumor burden. Furthermore, even in cases where PD-L1 was measured preoperatively, cases with histological types such as AdSq, LCNEC, large cell carcinoma, spindle cell carcinoma, and pleomorphic carcinoma, the diagnoses may differ before and after surgery, and we think that PD-L1 should be reevaluated after surgery. In Case 6, if PD-L1 had been remeasured in the resected specimen, it might have influenced the outcome (Table 2 ). Study limitations Because this was a retrospective study, the suitability of bronchoscopy was left to the discretion of each attending physician, which may have resulted in bias. Because of the limitations in health insurance coverage in Japan, PD-L1 could only be measured once at our facility. Therefore, the change in PD-L1 before and after surgery could not be evaluated in this study. In addition, our hospital tended to have a higher proportion of early-stage lung cancer that was operable. Early-stage lung cancer includes peripheral lesions with a small tumor size, which may be involved in the reduced diagnostic yield of bronchoscopy. In addition, there were no cases diagnosed by endobronchial ultrasonography guided transbronchial needle aspiration, which may have affected the diagnostic yield. Study advantages Because the study was performed at a single facility, the equipment and personnel used were consistent, and it was possible to consistently follow the patients from bronchoscopy to surgery and throughout the postoperative course. To date, there have been no reports on the appropriate timing for measuring PD-L1, with reference to the difference between diagnosis by preoperative bronchoscopy and postoperative surgical pathology. Testing at the appropriate time with the appropriate specimen is extremely important for the increasingly complex treatment of lung cancer, and will contribute to the personalized treatment of NSCLC. Conclusions In this study, 10.5% of cases with a diagnosis made by bronchoscopy had a different outcome when the diagnosis was made after resection. Tumor cells are heterogeneous, and it is difficult to accurately evaluate the overall tumor profile by bronchoscopic examination. This may have had a negative impact on the evaluation of PD-L1. Further investigation is needed. Abbreviations ICIs Immune checkpoint inhibitors NSCLC Non-small cell lung cancer PD-L1 Programmed cell death protein-1 TPS Tumor Proportion Score TBLB Transbronchial lung biopsy R-EBUS Radial endobronchial ultrasound CT Computed tomography AdSq Adenosquamous carcinoma LCNEC Large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma Declarations Reporting Checklist : The authors have completed the STROBE reporting checklist. Ethics approval and consent to participate : The authors are accountable for all aspects of the work and ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved. The study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki (as revised in 2013). The study was approved by the ethics committee of the Shimonoseki City Hospital (Japan; No.:2024SCHEC-017), and individual consent for this retrospective analysis was waived. Consent for publication: Individual consent for this retrospective analysis was waived. Availability of data and materials: Not applicable. Competing interests : JY served as the principal investigator for Insmed Inc. and Janssen Pharmaceuticals. YN declare that they have no competing interests. YH declare that they have no competing interests. HM declare that they have no competing interests. MI declare that they have no competing interests. Funding: None Authors’ Contributions: MI conceptualized and designed the study. JY provided administrative support. MI provided study materials and patients. YH and HM collected and assembled the data. YN performed data analysis and interpretation. All authors contributed to manuscript writing. All authors read and approved the final manuscript. Acknowledgements We thank J. Ludovic Croxford, PhD, from Edanz (https://jp.edanz.com/ac) for editing a draft of this manuscript. References Forde PM, Spicer J, Lu S, Provencio M, Mitsudomi T, Awad MM, et al. Neoadjuvant nivolumab plus chemotherapy in resectable lung cancer. N Engl J Med. 2022;386:1973–85. Felip E, Altorki N, Zhou C, Csőszi T, Vynnychenko I, Goloborodko O, et al. Adjuvant atezolizumab after adjuvant chemotherapy in resected stage IB-IIIA non-small-cell lung cancer (IMpower010): a randomised, multicentre, open-label, phase 3 trial. Lancet. 2021;398:1344–57. Ali MS, Trick W, Mba BI, Mohananey D, Sethi J, Musani AI. Radial endobronchial ultrasound for the diagnosis of peripheral pulmonary lesions: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Respirology. 2017;22:443–53. Naito T, Udagawa H, Sato J, Horinouchi H, Murakami S, Goto Y, et al. A minimum of 100 tumor cells in a single biopsy sample is required to assess programmed cell death ligand 1 expression in predicting patient response to nivolumab treatment in nonsquamous non-small cell lung carcinoma. J Thorac Oncol. 2019;14:1818–27. Gagné A, Wang E, Bastien N, Orain M, Desmeules P, Pagé S, et al. Impact of specimen characteristics on pd-l1 testing in non-small cell lung cancer: validation of the IASLC PD-L1 testing recommendations. J Thorac Oncol. 2019;14:2062–70. Boothman AM, Scott M, Ratcliffe M, Whiteley J, Dennis PA, Wadsworth C, et al. Impact of patient characteristics, prior therapy, and sample type on tumor cell programmed cell death ligand 1 expression in patients with advanced NSCLC screened for the ATLANTIC study. J Thorac Oncol. 2019;14:1390–9. Lee JH, Yoon SH, Hong H, Rho JY, Goo JM. Incidence, risk factors, and prognostic indicators of symptomatic air embolism after percutaneous transthoracic lung biopsy: a systematic review and pooled analysis. Eur Radiol. 2021;31:2022–33. Kodama H, Takaki H, Taniguchi J, Ogasawara A, Kako Y, Kobayashi K, et al. Efficacy of percutaneous direct puncture biopsy of malignant lung tumors contacting to the pleura. Vivo. 2023;37:2237–43. Jiménez MF. Prospective study on video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery in the resection of pulmonary nodules: 209 cases from the Spanish Video-Assisted Thoracic Surgery Study Group. Eur J Cardiothorac Surg. 2001;19:562–5. Asano F, Aoe M, Ohsaki Y, Okada Y, Sasada S, Sato S, et al. Deaths and complications associated with respiratory endoscopy: a survey by the Japan Society for Respiratory Endoscopy in 2010. Respirology. 2012;17:478–85. Tomiyama N, Yasuhara Y, Nakajima Y, Adachi S, Arai Y, Kusumoto M, et al. CT-guided needle biopsy of lung lesions: a survey of severe complication based on 9783 biopsies in Japan. Eur J Radiol. 2006;59:60–4. Rivera MP, Mehta AC, Wahidi MM. Establishing the diagnosis of lung cancer: Diagnosis and management of lung cancer, 3rd ed: American College of Chest Physicians evidence-based clinical practice guidelines. Chest. 2013;143:eS142–65. Heymann JJ, Bulman WA, Swinarski D, Pagan CA, Crapanzano JP, Haghighi M, et al. PD-L1 expression in non–small cell lung carcinoma: comparison among cytology, small biopsy, and surgical resection specimens. Cancer Cytopathol. 2017;125:896–907. Ilie M, Long-Mira E, Bence C, Butori C, Lassalle S, Bouhlel L, et al. Comparative study of the PD-L1 status between surgically resected specimens and matched biopsies of NSCLC patients reveal major discordances: a potential issue for anti–PD-L1 therapeutic strategies. Ann Oncol. 2016;27:147–53. Kitazono S, Fujiwara Y, Tsuta K, Utsumi H, Kanda S, Horinouchi H, et al. Reliability of small biopsy samples compared with resected specimens for the determination of programmed death-ligand 1 expression in non–small-cell lung cancer. Clin Lung Cancer. 2015;16:385–90. Tsunoda A, Morikawa K, Inoue T, Miyazawa T, Hoshikawa M, Takagi M, et al. A prospective observational study to assess PD-L1 expression in small biopsy samples for non-small-cell lung cancer. BMC Cancer. 2019;19:546. Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Supplementary Files 20240704STROBEchecklistv4combinedPlosMedicine.docx Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-4721952","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":327432913,"identity":"5fdd3c8c-1929-4cad-ac9b-ba1bbfb77b9a","order_by":0,"name":"Yusuke Nabe","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA3ElEQVRIiWNgGAWjYHACNgglwcD4AEjx8JGihdkApIWNFC1sEkhc3MDgePOxB4xtDHn8s5uPVX7NsZNhY2B++OgGPi1njqUbALUUS9w5lnZbdlsy0GFsxsY5+LTcyDGTAGpJbAAybktuYwZq4WGTxq8l/xtYy3wgo1hyWz0xWnLYwFo2ABmMH7cdJqxF8swxM4mEcxKJG+8cM5Zm3Hach42ZgF/4jjc/k/hQZpM473bzw48/t1Xb87M3P3yMTwsYJEJihIGZB0wSUg4GfyAU4w+iVI+CUTAKRsFIAwCeUkTT6+MiOgAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==","orcid":"","institution":"Shimonoseki City Hospital","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Yusuke","middleName":"","lastName":"Nabe","suffix":""},{"id":327432914,"identity":"031b36e2-1670-486d-94af-df4b91c422cc","order_by":1,"name":"Yohei Honda","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Shimonoseki City Hospital","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Yohei","middleName":"","lastName":"Honda","suffix":""},{"id":327432915,"identity":"4009bed9-7005-4748-b003-b6b819672571","order_by":2,"name":"Hiroshi Mizuuchi","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Shimonoseki City Hospital","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Hiroshi","middleName":"","lastName":"Mizuuchi","suffix":""},{"id":327432916,"identity":"aad243f0-ea5a-41a5-8813-8afd8389f23d","order_by":3,"name":"Masaaki Inoue","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Shimonoseki City Hospital","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Masaaki","middleName":"","lastName":"Inoue","suffix":""},{"id":327432917,"identity":"89e6a8a9-5e2e-47cd-84f7-61ad88b113a9","order_by":4,"name":"Junichi Yoshida","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Shimonoseki City Hospital","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Junichi","middleName":"","lastName":"Yoshida","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2024-07-11 05:37:55","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4721952/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-4721952/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":62187252,"identity":"baf51e1a-832e-4f4f-81c3-0a6125ddb505","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-08-10 12:10:12","extension":"jpeg","order_by":1,"title":"Figure 1","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":382224,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eA flowchart of the cases\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"floatimage1.jpeg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4721952/v1/fcabd608a08fc6f72905500e.jpeg"},{"id":63758199,"identity":"68750e3b-64b5-408a-870c-f8b21bfe6596","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-09-02 05:35:55","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":921710,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4721952/v1/804c9dea-9211-4b43-b5fb-6554b326f157.pdf"},{"id":62187251,"identity":"ac7cad23-85a5-4822-80e3-67dc64e7734d","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-08-10 12:10:12","extension":"docx","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":36838,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"20240704STROBEchecklistv4combinedPlosMedicine.docx","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4721952/v1/c6363730b18c781c498c7f86.docx"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Differences in pathological diagnoses between bronchoscopic tissue and resected specimens of non-small cell lung cancer: A retrospective single center study","fulltext":[{"header":"Background","content":"\u003cp\u003eImmune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have been used as neoadjuvant and adjuvant treatments for resectable lung cancer (1, 2). The CheckMate 816 Clinical Trials showed that nivolumab combined chemotherapy improved the long-term clinical outcomes of patients with resectable stage IB to IIIA non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) compared with chemotherapy alone (hazard ratio for disease recurrence or death = 0.63), and the pathological complete response rate was 24.0% (95% confidence interval 18.0–31.0) regardless of resection [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR1\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe IMpower010 study showed a disease-free survival benefit with atezolizumab as supportive therapy after adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with resected stage II-IIIA NSCLC, with a notable benefit in the subgroup of tumors expressing programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-L1) and with a Tumor Proportion Score (TPS) ≥ 1% [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e]. Because ICI therapy is now incorporated into preoperative treatment, the importance of preoperative pathological diagnosis is gradually increasing. Furthermore, as the indications for ICI therapy expand, the importance of PD-L1 evaluation is also increasing.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe diagnostic yield of transbronchial lung biopsy (TBLB) for malignant diagnoses is 25.16% with a diagnostic accuracy of 87.74% [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e]. Radial endobronchial ultrasound (R-EBUS) has a high diagnostic yield in peripheral lung lesions, particularly in those with malignant lesions \u0026gt; 2 cm that are associated with computed tomography (CT) endobronchial signs and in those where the R-EBUS probe is inserted within the lesion (as opposed to being adjacent to the lesion) [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e]. However, the amount of tumor that can be extracted by bronchoscopy is smaller than that obtained by surgery.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe assessment of PD-L1 is essential when administering ICIs. At least 100 tumor cells are required to assess PD-L1 expression [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR5\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e], and PD-L1 expression may be underestimated in specimens older than 3 years [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR5\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR6\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003e]. Therefore, it is important to perform the test at the appropriate time and with the appropriate tissue.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn our hospital, we have encountered cases in which the pathological diagnosis of the bronchoscopic specimen obtained preoperatively was revised in the resected specimen after surgery for NSCLC. We evaluated the revision rate of the resected specimens and considered its impact on PD-L1 measurement with a literature review.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Methods","content":"\u003cp\u003eOf 237 surgical cases diagnosed with NSCLC at our hospital between January 1, 2019 and December 31, 2023, 126 cases in which bronchoscopy was performed before surgery were included. Two cases in which bronchoscopy was performed at other hospitals were also included. Information was collected retrospectively from electronic medical records.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTwo cases of simultaneous multiple lung cancer, small cell lung cancer and NSCLC, were identified. One of the cases was diagnosed with small cell lung cancer by preoperative bronchoscopic examination. In this case, a diagnosis of NSCLC was not obtained, so the preoperative diagnosis was deemed to be inconclusive because it was determined that only the components of small cell lung cancer were collected by bronchoscopy.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA flowchart of the cases is shown in Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e. Cases diagnosed as cancer, regardless of histology, were considered diagnosed. Although the histological type of NSCLC was unknown, cases with a diagnosis of carcinoma were included in the group with a definite diagnosis. Suspected cases, and cases with an unclear diagnosis of benign or malignant cancer were classified as undiagnosed.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e[Figure \u003cspan refid=\"Fig1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e near here]\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBronchoscopic equipment and specimen handling\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe bronchoscope equipment used were an Olympus CV-290, Evis X1 CV-1500, BF-P290, and BF-1TQ290 manufactured by Olympus Corporation (Tokyo, Japan). Specimens collected with the use of a bronchoscope were immediately fixed in 10% neutral buffered formalin and used for pathological analysis. The pathology staff injected 10% neutral buffered formalin into specimens after we removed specimens, immediately.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBronchoscopic biopsies were performed using different instruments and sampling methods: transbronchial biopsy forceps, transbronchial brush, and radial probe endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial lung biopsy (EBUS-TBLB). Cases with a definite diagnosis were considered cancer based on cytology or histology.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePD-L1 evaluation method\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePD-L1 testing was outsourced to an LSI Medience Corporation(Tokyo, Japan), and the antibody used was PD-L1 22C3 pharmDx.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Results","content":"\u003cp\u003eThe backgrounds of the patients in this study are shown in Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e. Thoracoscopic surgery was performed in 88.9% (112/126) of cases, and 75% (9/12) of open chest surgery cases were treated before surgery. There were two other cases, one of which underwent bronchoscopic laser ablation, and the other underwent left cervical lymph node biopsy.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab1\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 1\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBackground of patients in this study.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"4\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePatient background\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003en\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;126\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAge, years\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e(Median)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e73 (\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e49\u0026ndash;90)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSex\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMale\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e73\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFemale\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e53\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eProcedure\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLobectomy\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e110\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSegmentectomy\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePartial resection\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eOthers\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eApproach\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eVATS\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e112\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eThoracotomy\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e12\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eOthers\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eComplete resection\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eR0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e100\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eR1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eR2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e14\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eothers\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePathological stage\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8th Edition of the UICC\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eIA\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e24\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eIB\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e20\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eIIA\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eIIB\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e29\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eIIIA\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e14\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eIIIB\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eIIIC\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eIVA\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eIVB\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTissue type (surgical specimen)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSq\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e28\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAd\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e87\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAdSq\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePleo\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLCNEC\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLarge cell carcinoma\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSpindle cell carcinoma\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eother\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRecurrence\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e27\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e84\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eOutcome\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSurvival\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e98\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDeath from other illnesses\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e13\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDeath from underlying disease\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e15\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eObservation period\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e(Median) Month\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e27\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e(0\u0026ndash;59)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003ctfoot\u003e \u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd colspan=\"4\"\u003eUICC: Union for International Cancer Control; AdSq: Adenosquamous carcinoma; LCNEC: Large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma; Ad: Adenocarcinoma; Sq: Squamoous cell carcinoma; Pleo: Pleomorphic carcinoma\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tfoot\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eBronchoscopic examination provided a definitive diagnosis for 57 of 126 cases (45.2%). Bronchoscopic examination included three cases where it was difficult to determine whether the tumor was benign or malignant, one case where atypical cells were found, and one case where small cell lung cancer was diagnosed. Other details of resected pathology included two cases where no tumor cells were found because of preoperative treatment.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e[Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e near here]\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eOf the 57 cases in which a pathological diagnosis was made by bronchoscopy, the diagnosis was revised in six cases (10.5%) based on the resection specimen (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e). There were two cases of squamous cell carcinoma to adenosquamous carcinoma (AdSq), one case of NSCLC to large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (LCNEC), one case of adenocarcinoma to large cell carcinoma, one case of NSCLC to spindle cell carcinoma, and one case of squamous cell carcinoma (Sq) to pleomorphic carcinoma. Of the six cases in which the diagnosis was revised after surgery, two had PD-L1 assayed using bronchoscopic specimens, one of which ended in death from the underlying disease.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab2\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 2\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eA list of cases in which the diagnosis differed before and after surgery\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"11\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c7\" colnum=\"7\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c8\" colnum=\"8\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c9\" colnum=\"9\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c10\" colnum=\"10\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c11\" colnum=\"11\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCases\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSex\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAge (years)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePathology (bronchoscopic)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eProcedure\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePostoperative pathology\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTNM\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePathological stage\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePD-L1(%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eBF / Ope\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eR\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eOutcome\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e①\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eM\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e61\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNon-small cell lung carcinoma\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eVATS LLL\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLarge cell neuroendocrine carcinoma\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003epT2aN0M0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eIB\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eN / N\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAlive\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e②\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eM\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e52\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNon-small cell lung carcinoma\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eoRUL\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSpindle cell carcinoma\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eypT2bN0M0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eIIA\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e100 / N\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAlive\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e③\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eM\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e70\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSquamous cell carcinoma\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eoRUL\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;Br plasty\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePleomorphic carcinoma\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003epT2bN1M0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eIIB\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eN / N\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAlive\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e④\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eF\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e67\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSquamous cell carcinoma\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eVATS RLL\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAdenosquamous carcinoma\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003epT4N0M0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eIIIA\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eN / 1\u0026thinsp;~\u0026thinsp;24\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAlive\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e⑤\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eM\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e71\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAdenocarcinoma\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eVATS LUL\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLarge cell carcinoma\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003epT4N2M0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eIIIB\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eN / 95\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAlive\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e⑥\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eM\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e74\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSquamous cell carcinoma\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eVATS RLL\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAdenosquamous carcinoma\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003epT4N0M0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eIIIA\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u0026thinsp;~\u0026thinsp;24 / N\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDeath\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003ctfoot\u003e \u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd colspan=\"11\"\u003eTNM: Tumor, Nodes, Metastasis; VATS: Video-assisted thoracic surgery; LLL: Left lower lobectomy; oRUL: Open right upper lobectomy; Br plasty: Bronchoplasty; RLL: Right lower lobectomy; LUL: Left upper lobectomy; N: Not measured; BF: Bronchoscopy; Ope; Operation\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tfoot\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e[Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e near here]\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe diagnostic yield by pathological stage using bronchoscopy is shown in Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e. Of the 57 cases in which a diagnosis was obtained, cervical lymph node metastasis and LN#4R lymph node metastasis were classified as \"other\" because of postoperative recurrence or metastasis after treatment.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab3\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 3\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBronchoscopy diagnostic rate by pathological stage\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"2\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePathological stage\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBF (%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003en\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;126\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e25 (2/8)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eIA\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e16.7 (4/24)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eIB\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e40 (8/20)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eIIA\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e37.5 (3/8)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eIIB\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e62.1 (18/29)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eIIIA\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e71.4 (10/14)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eIIIB\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e50 (4/8)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eIIIC\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0 (0/1)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eIVA\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e55.6 (5/9)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eIVB\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e33.3 (1/3)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0-IA2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e16.0 (4/25)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eIA3-IVB\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e51.5 (51/99)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eOthers\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e100 (2/2)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTotal\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e45.2 (57/126)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003ctfoot\u003e \u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd colspan=\"2\"\u003e\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003eTwo cases of recurrence and metastasis.\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd colspan=\"2\"\u003eBF: Bronchoscopy\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tfoot\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn our hospital, early lung cancer (p-Stage 0-IA2, with a tumor diameter 2 cm or less) accounted for 19.8% (25/126) of all cases, with a diagnosis rate of 16%. The diagnosis rate for cases of p-Stage IA3 or higher was 51.5%.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e[Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e near here]\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ePD-L1 was measured in 60 cases overall: 11 from bronchoscopic specimens and 49 from resection specimens. The PD-L1 expression in bronchoscopic and surgical specimens is summarized in Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e. PD-L1 could not be assessed by bronchoscopy in 9.1% (1/11) of cases because of the absence of assessable tumor cells. PD-L1 was assessable in all cases with surgical specimens.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab4\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 4\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePD-L1 expression in bronchoscopic and surgical specimens.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"3\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePD-L1; TPS\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBF (%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003en\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;11\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eOpe (%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003en\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;49\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;1%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0 (0/11)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e20.4 (10/49)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u0026ndash;49%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e54.5 (6/11)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e46.9 (23/49)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026ge;\u0026thinsp;50%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e36.4 (4/11)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e32.6 (16/49)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNo assessable tumor cells\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9.1 (1/11)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0 (0/49)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003ctfoot\u003e \u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd colspan=\"3\"\u003eTPS: Tumor Proportion Score; BF: Bronchoscopy; Ope: Operation\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd colspan=\"3\"\u003eAmong the 126 cases, there was no overlap in PD-L1 testing between bronchoscopic and surgical specimens. PD-L1 was measured in 11 bronchoscopic specimens and 49 surgical specimens.\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tfoot\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e[Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e near here]\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Discussion","content":"\u003cp\u003eThe most common diagnostic methods for NSCLC are bronchoscopy, CT-guided needle biopsy, and surgery. Bronchoscopy, which is less invasive, is generally the first choice. CT-guided needle biopsy was associated with symptomatic air embolism in 0.08% of cases, and 32.7% of symptomatic patients with air embolism suffered from sequelae or died [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR7\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e7\u003c/span\u003e]. In addition, CT-guided needle biopsy for malignant lung tumors in contact with the pleura resulted in pleural dissemination in 11% of cases [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e8\u003c/span\u003e]. CT-guided needle biopsy for early-stage lung cancer is not generally chosen because of the risk of cancer dissemination, where complete surgical resection is impossible. Diagnosis by surgery requires general anesthesia, which has a mortality rate of 0.5% and frequency of complications of 9.6% [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e9\u003c/span\u003e]. The mortality rate of bronchoscopy is 0.003%[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e10\u003c/span\u003e], and that of CT-guided biopsy is 0.07% [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR11\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e11\u003c/span\u003e]. Surgical diagnosis is more invasive than bronchoscopy or CT-guided biopsy. Other complications specific to surgery include postoperative pain, pneumonia, pulmonary fistula, bronchial fistula, and lymphatic fistula.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTherefore, the indications for surgical biopsy are limited. Surgical biopsy is selected for patients in good general condition in cases where a diagnosis is difficult to achieve using bronchoscopy, CT-guided biopsy, and other minimally invasive tests such as sputum cytology and pleural effusion cytology. However, even if cancer is diagnosed by cytology, it may be difficult to assess PD-L1 expression or related genes because the amount of tumor cells is small. Although some diagnostic items can be tested using cell blocks from pleural effusion, they do not encompass the entire tumor, so they are not suitable for the accurate evaluation of the TPS. The diagnostic accuracy of TBLB and CT-guided biopsy for malignant tumors was reported to be 70.6\u0026ndash;87.74% [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR6\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e8\u003c/span\u003e] and 91.61% [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR6\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003e], respectively, whereas the diagnostic rate of surgery was reported to be 100% [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e9\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eBronchoscopy is less invasive than surgery and has a lower risk of cancer seeding and air embolism than CT-guided biopsy, but its diagnostic rate is lower. However, the diagnostic rate has been improved by ultrasound bronchoscopy, but it is difficult to diagnose cases in which the tumor is not exposed in the bronchus or small peripheral lesions.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn this study, the diagnostic rate of bronchoscopy was 45.2%. One of the reasons for the low diagnostic rate might be that, because surgical cases were the focus, many cases of early lung cancer and small peripheral lesions were included. The diagnostic sensitivity of peripheral lung cancer with a tumor diameter less than 2 cm was reported to be 34% [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e12\u003c/span\u003e]. In our hospital, early-stage lung cancer (p-Stage 0-IA2) accounted for 19.8% of all cases. All p-Stage 0-IA2 cases had tumors less than 2 cm in diameter, and the bronchoscopic diagnostic rate at our hospital was 16%. This rate is lower than the diagnostic rate of general bronchoscopic procedures.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn this study, the difference in diagnosis between bronchoscopic specimens and surgical biopsies was 10.5%. Adenosquamous carcinoma, large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma, large cell carcinoma, spindle cell carcinoma, and pleomorphic carcinoma exhibited heterogeneous histological images, which makes their accurate evaluation difficult by preoperative bronchoscopic examination.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eCancer is heterogeneous, and bronchoscopic specimens can only evaluate a small portion of the tumor; therefore, an accurate diagnosis cannot be made. Test items evaluated by TPS, such as PD-L1, cannot be evaluated correctly because only a portion of the tumor is reflected in tissues collected by bronchoscopic examination.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ePrevious studies reported no difference in the expression rate of PD-L1 before and after surgery [\u003cspan additionalcitationids=\"CR14\" citationid=\"CR13\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e13\u003c/span\u003e\u0026ndash;\u003cspan citationid=\"CR15\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e15\u003c/span\u003e]. The concordance rate of TPS between biopsy and surgical materials was reported to be 86.7% [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR16\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e16\u003c/span\u003e]. With heterogeneous tumor cell populations, it is difficult to evaluate the overall tumor picture by preoperative testing. In cases where preoperative and postoperative diagnoses differ, as in this study, the evaluation of PD-L1 may also change.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eDepending on the histological type of tumor in which PD-L1 is measured, the entire tumor cannot be evaluated, so bronchoscopy may not be able to accurately evaluate the TPS. In addition, PD-L1 may not be evaluated if the amount of specimen collected is small. In this study, PD-L1 could not be measured in one case of bronchoscopic specimen. For resectable NSCLC, the most accurate method to accurately evaluate the TPS is the measurement of PD-L1 immediately after surgery in surgical specimens with a large tumor burden. Furthermore, even in cases where PD-L1 was measured preoperatively, cases with histological types such as AdSq, LCNEC, large cell carcinoma, spindle cell carcinoma, and pleomorphic carcinoma, the diagnoses may differ before and after surgery, and we think that PD-L1 should be reevaluated after surgery. In Case 6, if PD-L1 had been remeasured in the resected specimen, it might have influenced the outcome (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eStudy limitations\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eBecause this was a retrospective study, the suitability of bronchoscopy was left to the discretion of each attending physician, which may have resulted in bias. Because of the limitations in health insurance coverage in Japan, PD-L1 could only be measured once at our facility. Therefore, the change in PD-L1 before and after surgery could not be evaluated in this study. In addition, our hospital tended to have a higher proportion of early-stage lung cancer that was operable. Early-stage lung cancer includes peripheral lesions with a small tumor size, which may be involved in the reduced diagnostic yield of bronchoscopy. In addition, there were no cases diagnosed by endobronchial ultrasonography guided transbronchial needle aspiration, which may have affected the diagnostic yield.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eStudy advantages\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eBecause the study was performed at a single facility, the equipment and personnel used were consistent, and it was possible to consistently follow the patients from bronchoscopy to surgery and throughout the postoperative course.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTo date, there have been no reports on the appropriate timing for measuring PD-L1, with reference to the difference between diagnosis by preoperative bronchoscopy and postoperative surgical pathology. Testing at the appropriate time with the appropriate specimen is extremely important for the increasingly complex treatment of lung cancer, and will contribute to the personalized treatment of NSCLC.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Conclusions","content":"\u003cp\u003eIn this study, 10.5% of cases with a diagnosis made by bronchoscopy had a different outcome when the diagnosis was made after resection. Tumor cells are heterogeneous, and it is difficult to accurately evaluate the overall tumor profile by bronchoscopic examination. This may have had a negative impact on the evaluation of PD-L1. Further investigation is needed.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Abbreviations","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"DefinitionList\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"DefinitionListEntry\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"Term\"\u003eICIs\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"Description\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eImmune checkpoint inhibitors\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"DefinitionListEntry\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"Term\"\u003eNSCLC\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"Description\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNon-small cell lung cancer\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"DefinitionListEntry\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"Term\"\u003ePD-L1\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"Description\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eProgrammed cell death protein-1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"DefinitionListEntry\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"Term\"\u003eTPS\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"Description\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTumor Proportion Score\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"DefinitionListEntry\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"Term\"\u003eTBLB\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"Description\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTransbronchial lung biopsy\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"DefinitionListEntry\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"Term\"\u003eR-EBUS\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"Description\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRadial endobronchial ultrasound\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"DefinitionListEntry\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"Term\"\u003eCT\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"Description\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eComputed tomography\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"DefinitionListEntry\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"Term\"\u003eAdSq\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"Description\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAdenosquamous carcinoma\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"DefinitionListEntry\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"Term\"\u003eLCNEC\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"Description\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLarge cell neuroendocrine carcinoma\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReporting Checklist\u003c/strong\u003e: The authors have completed the\u0026nbsp;STROBE\u0026nbsp;reporting checklist.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEthics approval and consent to participate\u003c/strong\u003e: The authors are accountable for all aspects of the work and ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved. The study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki (as revised in 2013). The study was approved by the ethics committee of the Shimonoseki City Hospital (Japan; No.:2024SCHEC-017), and individual consent for this retrospective analysis was waived.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConsent for publication:\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003eIndividual consent for this retrospective analysis was waived.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAvailability of data and materials:\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003eNot applicable.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCompeting interests\u003c/strong\u003e: JY served as the principal investigator for Insmed Inc. and Janssen Pharmaceuticals. YN declare that they have no competing interests. YH declare that they have no competing interests. HM declare that they have no competing interests. MI declare that they have no competing interests.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFunding:\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003eNone\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthors\u0026rsquo; Contributions:\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003eMI conceptualized and designed the study. JY provided administrative support. MI provided study materials and patients. YH and HM collected and assembled the data. YN performed data analysis and interpretation. All authors contributed to manuscript writing. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAcknowledgements\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe thank J. Ludovic Croxford, PhD, from Edanz (https://jp.edanz.com/ac) for editing a draft of this manuscript.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eForde PM, Spicer J, Lu S, Provencio M, Mitsudomi T, Awad MM, et al. Neoadjuvant nivolumab plus chemotherapy in resectable lung cancer. N Engl J Med. 2022;386:1973\u0026ndash;85.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFelip E, Altorki N, Zhou C, Csőszi T, Vynnychenko I, Goloborodko O, et al. Adjuvant atezolizumab after adjuvant chemotherapy in resected stage IB-IIIA non-small-cell lung cancer (IMpower010): a randomised, multicentre, open-label, phase 3 trial. Lancet. 2021;398:1344\u0026ndash;57.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAli MS, Trick W, Mba BI, Mohananey D, Sethi J, Musani AI. Radial endobronchial ultrasound for the diagnosis of peripheral pulmonary lesions: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Respirology. 2017;22:443\u0026ndash;53.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eNaito T, Udagawa H, Sato J, Horinouchi H, Murakami S, Goto Y, et al. A minimum of 100 tumor cells in a single biopsy sample is required to assess programmed cell death ligand 1 expression in predicting patient response to nivolumab treatment in nonsquamous non-small cell lung carcinoma. J Thorac Oncol. 2019;14:1818\u0026ndash;27.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eGagn\u0026eacute; A, Wang E, Bastien N, Orain M, Desmeules P, Pag\u0026eacute; S, et al. Impact of specimen characteristics on pd-l1 testing in non-small cell lung cancer: validation of the IASLC PD-L1 testing recommendations. J Thorac Oncol. 2019;14:2062\u0026ndash;70.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBoothman AM, Scott M, Ratcliffe M, Whiteley J, Dennis PA, Wadsworth C, et al. Impact of patient characteristics, prior therapy, and sample type on tumor cell programmed cell death ligand 1 expression in patients with advanced NSCLC screened for the ATLANTIC study. J Thorac Oncol. 2019;14:1390\u0026ndash;9.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eLee JH, Yoon SH, Hong H, Rho JY, Goo JM. Incidence, risk factors, and prognostic indicators of symptomatic air embolism after percutaneous transthoracic lung biopsy: a systematic review and pooled analysis. Eur Radiol. 2021;31:2022\u0026ndash;33.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eKodama H, Takaki H, Taniguchi J, Ogasawara A, Kako Y, Kobayashi K, et al. Efficacy of percutaneous direct puncture biopsy of malignant lung tumors contacting to the pleura. Vivo. 2023;37:2237\u0026ndash;43.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eJim\u0026eacute;nez MF. Prospective study on video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery in the resection of pulmonary nodules: 209 cases from the Spanish Video-Assisted Thoracic Surgery Study Group. Eur J Cardiothorac Surg. 2001;19:562\u0026ndash;5.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAsano F, Aoe M, Ohsaki Y, Okada Y, Sasada S, Sato S, et al. Deaths and complications associated with respiratory endoscopy: a survey by the Japan Society for Respiratory Endoscopy in 2010. Respirology. 2012;17:478\u0026ndash;85.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eTomiyama N, Yasuhara Y, Nakajima Y, Adachi S, Arai Y, Kusumoto M, et al. CT-guided needle biopsy of lung lesions: a survey of severe complication based on 9783 biopsies in Japan. Eur J Radiol. 2006;59:60\u0026ndash;4.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eRivera MP, Mehta AC, Wahidi MM. Establishing the diagnosis of lung cancer: Diagnosis and management of lung cancer, 3rd ed: American College of Chest Physicians evidence-based clinical practice guidelines. Chest. 2013;143:eS142\u0026ndash;65.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHeymann JJ, Bulman WA, Swinarski D, Pagan CA, Crapanzano JP, Haghighi M, et al. PD-L1 expression in non\u0026ndash;small cell lung carcinoma: comparison among cytology, small biopsy, and surgical resection specimens. Cancer Cytopathol. 2017;125:896\u0026ndash;907.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eIlie M, Long-Mira E, Bence C, Butori C, Lassalle S, Bouhlel L, et al. Comparative study of the PD-L1 status between surgically resected specimens and matched biopsies of NSCLC patients reveal major discordances: a potential issue for anti\u0026ndash;PD-L1 therapeutic strategies. Ann Oncol. 2016;27:147\u0026ndash;53.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eKitazono S, Fujiwara Y, Tsuta K, Utsumi H, Kanda S, Horinouchi H, et al. Reliability of small biopsy samples compared with resected specimens for the determination of programmed death-ligand 1 expression in non\u0026ndash;small-cell lung cancer. Clin Lung Cancer. 2015;16:385\u0026ndash;90.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eTsunoda A, Morikawa K, Inoue T, Miyazawa T, Hoshikawa M, Takagi M, et al. A prospective observational study to assess PD-L1 expression in small biopsy samples for non-small-cell lung cancer. BMC Cancer. 2019;19:546.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ol\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Bronchoscopy, Surgery, Non-small cell lung cancer, Programmed death-ligand 1","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4721952/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-4721952/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003ch2\u003eBackground\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eImmune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) combination chemotherapy has been used as preoperative and postoperative treatment for resectable non-small cell lung cancer. Programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-L1) is a biomarker that predicts the therapeutic effect of ICIs. In lung cancer, it is evaluated using the Tumor Proportion Score. Tumors are heterogeneous, and if the amount of collected tissue is small, the location of the tissue may affect the diagnosis. We evaluated the revision rate of the resected specimens and considered its impact on PD-L1 measurement.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eMethods\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eOver 5 years, 237 cases of non-small cell lung cancer underwent surgery. Of these, 126 cases underwent preoperative bronchoscopy. Bronchoscopy included forceps biopsy, brushing, and bronchoalveolar lavage. Endoscopic ultrasound was used for peripheral lesions. Cases in which cancer was diagnosed from bronchoscopic specimens were considered to have a definitive diagnosis. Simultaneous multiple small cell and non-small cell lung cancer were identified. Cases of small cell lung cancer were excluded from analyses.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eResults\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eBronchoscopy diagnosed cancer in 45.2% of cases. The revision rate of pathological diagnosis in resected specimens was 10.5%. Cases diagnosed as adenosquamous carcinoma, large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma, large cell carcinoma, spindle cell carcinoma, or pleomorphic carcinoma in resected specimens may have been revised from the diagnosis based on preoperative bronchoscopic specimens. In this study, 19.8% of cases were pathological stage 0-IA2 with T factors 2 cm or less, and the diagnostic rate by bronchoscopic examination was low at 16%. PD-L1 testing was measured in 11 cases using bronchoscopic specimens, one of which could not be measured because there was no evaluable tumor.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eConclusions\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn this study, the pathological revision rate was 10.5% when comparing preoperative bronchoscopic specimens with resected specimens, which may have had an impact on PD-L1 evaluation.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Differences in pathological diagnoses between bronchoscopic tissue and resected specimens of non-small cell lung cancer: A retrospective single center study","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2024-08-10 12:10:06","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4721952/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"617a0f96-b6f2-45e8-b7c3-04ebd1569294","owner":[],"postedDate":"August 10th, 2024","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2024-09-02T05:27:49+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2024-08-10 12:10:06","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-4721952","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-4721952","identity":"rs-4721952","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"qtupq5eGEP_6zYnWcrvyt","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}

Text is read by the "Ask this paper" AI Q&A widget below. Extraction quality varies by source — PMC NXML preserves structure cleanly, OA-HTML may include some navigation residue, and OA-PDF can have broken hyphenation. The publisher copy (via DOI) is the canonical version.

My notes (saved in your browser only)

Ask this paper AI returns verbatim quotes from the full text · source: preprint-html

Answers must be backed by verbatim quotes from this paper's full text. Hallucinated quotes are dropped automatically; if no verbatim passage answers the question, we say so. How this works

Citation neighborhood (no data yet)

We don't have any in-corpus citations linked to this paper yet. This is a recent paper (2024) — citers typically take a year or two to land, and the OpenAlex reference graph may still be filling in.

Source provenance

europepmc
last seen: 2026-05-20T01:45:00.602351+00:00