Thoracoscopy for lung cancer
What is a thoracoscopy?
If tests show you have lung cancer, your specialist usually arranges further tests to find out:
- the size and position of the cancer
- if it has spread outside the lung.
This is called the stage of the cancer. Knowing the stage helps you and your doctor decide on the best treatment for you.
A thoracoscopy lets the doctor look at the lining of the lungs (pleura). It is usually done under a local anaesthetic. The doctor will give you drugs to help you relax and make the procedure more comfortable.
What happens during a thoracoscopy?
The doctor makes one or two small cuts in your chest. They pass a thin, flexible tube called a thoracoscope into your chest through a cut and take a biopsy of the pleura. They can also remove any fluid that may have collected there.
A biopsy is when doctors remove a small piece of tissue or a sample of cells from an area of the body. This is then checked under a microscope for cancer cells.
Video-assisted thoracoscopy (VAT)
Related pages
About our information
This information has been written, revised and edited by Macmillan Cancer Support’s Cancer Information Development team. It has been reviewed by expert medical and health professionals and people living with cancer.
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References
Below is a sample of the sources used in our lung cancer information. If you would like more information about the sources we use, please contact us at informationproductionteam@macmillan.org.uk
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). Lung cancer – Diagnosis and management. Clinical guideline 2019. Last updated 2023. (accessed Nov 2023) Available at: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng122
European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO). Small-cell lung cancer: ESMO clinical practice guidelines for diagnosis, treatment and follow-up. 2021. (accessed Nov 2023). Available at: https://www.esmo.org/guidelines/guidelines-by-topic/esmo-clinical-practice-guidelines-lung-and-chest-tumours/small-cell-lung-cancer
European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO). Early and locally advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC): ESMO clinical practice guidelines for diagnosis, treatment and follow-up. 2017. eUpdate 01 September 2021: New Locally Advanced NSCLC Treatment Recommendations (accessed Nov 2023) Available at: https://www.esmo.org/guidelines/esmo-clinical-practice-guideline-early-stage-and-locally-advanced-non-small-cell-lung-cancer
European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO). ESMO expert consensus statements on the management of EGFR mutant non-small-cell lung cancer. 2022 (accessed Nov 2023). Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35176458/
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