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- • Mediastinoscopy with biopsies. In this procedure, a small incision is made at the base of the neck and a long
- thin tube called a mediastinoscope is inserted down to the lymph nodes in the middle of the chest. Tissue can be
- obtained through this instrument for pathological examination.
- • Needle aspiration of a mass in the chest, often with CT guidance.
- • Removal and analysis of fluid in the chest to detect tumor cells .
- • Pleural (chest lining) biopsy .
- • Lymph node biopsy.
- • Bone biopsy.
- • Liver biopsy.
- • Biopsy of a nodule during surgery.
- • DNA analysis. With the advent of genetic probe studies, certain genes appear to be more frequent in patients
- who develop lung cancer. Patients with amplification of the k-ras oncogene, for example, have a worse
- prognosis . In the future, it may become possible to determine from genetic studies whether an individual is at
- increased risk of lung cancer or other cancers.
-