PURPOSE: To compare the diagnostic accuracy between fine needle and large cutting needle biopies. METHODS & MATERIALS: Chest lesion was biopsied consecutively by 19 G or 22 G fine needle and 14 G large cutting needle with interval of 10-20 min. 119 patients confirmed by operation or clinical follow-up were evaluated. RESULTS: There were 65 patient confirmed as malignant lesion and 54 confirmed as benign lesions. Diagnostic accuracy was 87.7%(57/65) for malignancy and 85.2%(46/54) for benign lesion with fine needle. With large cutting needle, it was 90.8%(59/65) for malignancy and 88.9%(48/54) for benign lesion. In the benign lesion, specific diagnostic accuray was 48.1%(26/54) with fine needle, and 64.8%(35/54) with large cutting needle biopsy, respectively. Complications were hemoptysis(n=13, 10.9%), pneumothorax(n=7, 5.9%) and mild to moderate chest pain. Although, it is impossible to compare the complications by the two types of biopsy on same lesion, 10 cases of immediate hemopytsis and more severe chest pain occurred when large cutting needle biopsy was done. CONCLUSION: No significant difference in diagnostic accuracy between fine needle and large cutting needle biopsies was observed in malignant lesion. In benign lesions, larger sample volume may increase the chance of obtaining a specific diagnosis but has no influence on overall diagnostic accuracy of benignity. Thus, we believe that fine needle aspiration biopsy is an accurate, safe, and more tolerable means to be performed as first step for diagnosis of chest lesions.
Biopsy* ; Biopsy, Fine-Needle* ; Biopsy, Needle ; Chest Pain ; Diagnosis ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Needles* ; Thorax

The leiomyoma of the bronchus is a very rare benign tumor in the lower respiratory tract. Though classical treatment of the branchial leiomyoma is surgical resection, bronchoscopic tumor resection has been recently applied to selected cases. We experienced two cases of bronchial leiomyomas which were successfully resected under flexible bronchoscopy using Nd-YAG laser and bronchial snare. We speculated that bronchoscopic resection of the bronchial leiomyoma would be an effective and safe way of treatment, and more technical developments should follow.
Bronchi ; Bronchoscopy* ; Lasers, Solid-State* ; Leiomyoma* ; Respiratory System ; SNARE Proteins

We report a rare case of primary tracheal malignent melanoma documented by careful clinical examination. Differentiation between primary and metastatic malignant melanoma is very difficult. We conclude that this tracheal tumor is a primary malignant melanoma based on characteristic pathologic features and the exclusion of the possibility of spontaneous regression of the primary site by patient's history and physical examination.
Melanoma* ; Physical Examination ; Trachea

PURPOSE: This is to evaluate the acute complication, resection rate, and tumor down-staging after pre-operative concurrent chemoradiotherapy for stage IIIA (N2) non-small cell lung cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifteen patients with non-small cell lung cancer were enrolled in this study from May 1997 to June 1998 in Samsung Medical Center. The median age of the patients was 61 (range, 45~67) years and male to female ratio was 12:3. Pathologic types were squamous cell carcinoma (11) and adenocarcinoma (4). Pre-operative clinical tumor stages were cT1 in 2 patients, cT2 in 12, and cT3 in 1 and all were N2. Ten patients were proved to be N2 with mediastinoscopic biopsy and five had clinically evident mediastinal lymph node metastases on the chest CT scans. Pre-operative radiation therapy field included the primary tumor, the ipsilateral hilum, and the mediastinum. Total radiation dose was 45 Gy over 5 weeks with daily dose of 1.8 Gy. Pre-operative concurrent chemotherapy consisted of two cycles of intravenous cis-Platin (100 mg/m2) on day 1 and oral Etoposide (50 mg/m2/day) on days 1 through 14 with 4 weeks' interval. Surgery was followed after the pre-operative re-evaluation including chest CT scan in 3 weeks of the completion of the concurrent chemoradiotherapy if there was no evidence of disease progression. RESULTS: Full dose radiation therapy was administered to all the 15 patients. Planned two cycles of chemotherapy was completed in 11 patients and one cycle was given to four. One treatment related death of acute respiratory distress syndrome occurred in 15 days of surgery. Hospital admission was required in three patients including one with radiation pneumonitis and two with neutropenic fever. Hematologic complications and other acute complications including esophagitis were tolerable. Resection rate was 92.3% (12/13) in 13 patients excluding two patients who refused surgery. Pleural seeding was found in one patient after thoracotomy and tumor resection was not feasible. Post-operative tumor stagings were pT0 in 3 patients, pT1 in 6, and pT2 in 3. Lymph node status findings were pN0 in 8 patients, pN1 in 1, and pN2 in 3. Pathologic tumor down-staging was 61.5% (8/13) including complete response in three patients (23.7%). Tumor stage was unchanged in four patients (30.8%) and progression was in one (7.7%). CONCLUSION: Pre-operative concurrent chemoradiotherapy for Stage IIIA (N2) non-small cell lung cancer demonstrated satisfactory results with no increased severe acute complications. This treatment scheme deserves more patient accrual with long-term follow-up.
Adenocarcinoma ; Biopsy ; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung* ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; Chemoradiotherapy* ; Disease Progression ; Drug Therapy ; Esophagitis ; Etoposide ; Female ; Fever ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Lymph Nodes ; Male ; Mediastinum ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Radiation Pneumonitis ; Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Adult ; Thoracotomy ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed