To help find the cause of the symptoms, the doctor evaluates the person’s medical history, your history of smoking, exposure to environmental substances or craft and family history of cancer. The doctor also performs a physical exam and may order chest x-rays and other tests. If lung cancer is suspected, sputum cytology (microscopic examination of cells in a sample of phlegm from the lungs that comes from a deep cough) is a simple test that can be useful for detecting lung cancer. To confirm the presence of lung cancer, the doctor needs to examine lung tissue. A biopsy is the removal of a small sample of tissue for examination under a microscope by a pathologist and can show if a person has cancer. Several procedures can be used to obtain this tissue.
Bronchoscopy. The doctor puts a bronchoscope (a thin tube, light) by mouth or nose until you reach the windpipe to look into the airways. Through this tube, the doctor can collect cells or small tissue samples.
Needle aspiration. A needle is inserted into the tumor through the chest to remove a tissue sample.
Thoracentesis. Using a needle, the doctor removes a sample of fluid around the lungs for cancer cells.
Thoracotomy. Sometimes surgery is needed to open the chest to diagnose lung cancer. This procedure is a major operation that is performed in the hospital.
