• Bronchoscopy
• Lung Cancer

Despite significant advances in the last decade, lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related deaths, and early detection and diagnosis are paramount.1 Oftentimes, early lung cancer presents as a small nodule detected on a CT scan either incidentally or through lung cancer screening.2 3 Further evaluation of these nodules depends on radiographic characteristics, such as size, morphology and location, and individual risk factors, such as age and smoking history. Nodules at intermediate or high probability of malignancy are often referred for additional testing, including biopsy, which traditionally has been done via CT-guided transthoracic needle biopsy. Over the last decade, advanced diagnostic bronchoscopy has emerged as a reasonable alternative, with a recent randomised controlled trial suggesting comparable diagnostic yield.4 5

The study by Fernandez–Bussy and colleagues published in the journal is a two-centre retrospective study of 182 lung nodules biopsied using shape-sensing robotic-assisted bronchoscopy with intraprocedural mobile cone beam CT guidance. Notably, these nodules were either abutting the pleura or perifissural, which traditionally have been thought to carry a higher risk of procedural complications and are more difficult to reach via bronchoscopy. In this selected population, the authors report a notable diagnostic …