Analysis of diagnosis status of lung cancer in tertiary hospitals in Anhui Province

Objective To analyze the status of diagnosis of lung cancer in tertiary hospitals in our province, and provide basis for the optimization of diagnostic methods for patients with lung cancer. Methods A lung cancer diagnostic status questionnaire was designed by the expert group of lung cancer quality control center in our province. In July, 2016, the questionnaire survey of lung cancer diagnosis was conducted in 57 three level hospitals in our province. The valid data were collected and analyzed statistically. Results Among different diagnostic methods, bronchoscopy occupied the highest selection rate (20.0%, 163/816) for suspicious central lung cancer. CT- or ultrasound- guided percutaneously transthoracic lung biopsy taken up the highest selection rate for the peripheral pulmonary lesions (18.0%, 142/790). Focusing on the selection rate of a given diagnostic method for different types of lung cancer, bronchoscopy (χ²=59.305, P<0.001) and repeated sputum cytology (χ²=11.595, P=0.001) were commonly used for central lung cancer, that obviously surpassed peripheral pulmonary lesions, however, the selection rate of CT-guided or ultrasound-guided percutaneously transthoracic lung biopsy (χ²=14.477, P<0.001) and direct surgery (χ²=25.014, P<0.001) in central lung cancer was significantly higher than that in peripheral pulmonary lesions. Among the different levels of hospitals, EBUS or TBNA (χ²=9.421, P=0.002) and direct surgery (χ²=4.195, P=0.041) were most commonly used in provincial hospital, the selection rate was significantly more than that of municipal hospitals; the selection rate of R-EBUS guided bronchoscopy (χ²=5.854, P=0.016) in tertiary hospitals was significantly more than that of the three B hospitals. Conclusion Conventional bronchoscopy and percutaneous lung biopsy are the main means for the diagnosis of lung cancer in our province, but new technologies are less developed. Provincial hospitals and tertiary hospitals are superior to municipal hospitals and three B hospitals in the diagnosis level and concept of lung cancer.