Early detection of lung cancer through endoscopic bronchoscopy (EBUS)

Each year, Vietnam detects over 26,000 new cases of lung cancer, of which approximately 75% are diagnosed late, and the 5-year survival rate is only 14.8%. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in both sexes.

Báo Công an Nhân dân•10/01/2026

On January 10th, the 19-8 Hospital ( Ministry of Public Security ) organized the International Scientific Conference "Bronchial Ultrasound Endoscopy (EBUS)" with the participation and technical transfer of Dr. Masao Hashimoto, Department of Respiratory Medicine, National Center for Global Health and Medicine in Japan.

In his opening remarks at the conference, Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Tien Quang, Director of the 19-8 Hospital, stated that endoscopic bronchoscopy with ultrasound (EBUS) and biopsy are advanced, specialized techniques with high diagnostic value in respiratory diseases, especially lung cancer and mediastinal diseases.

Early detection of lung cancer through endoscopic bronchoscopy (EBUS) -0

Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Tien Quang, Director of the 19-8 Hospital, delivered a speech at the conference.

The Director of 19-8 Hospital thanked Dr. Masao Hashimoto for directly training and transferring this technique to the doctors of 19-8 Hospital. "This is a valuable opportunity for the medical staff of 19-8 Hospital to access advanced knowledge, standardize technical procedures, improve professional capacity, and enhance the quality of treatment for patients," emphasized Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Tien Quang. He also expressed confidence that with their extensive experience and open spirit of cooperation, this program will bring practical results, contributing to promoting medical cooperation between Vietnam and Japan in general, and between 19-8 Hospital and the National Center for Global Health in particular.

The Director of Hospital 19-8 also hopes that through Dr. Masao Hashimoto, a bridge will be built for the Boards of Directors of the two hospitals to establish comprehensive and long-term cooperation.

Early detection of lung cancer through endoscopic bronchoscopy (EBUS) -0

Dr. Masao Hashimoto is sharing his bronchoscopy ultrasound technique with doctors at the 19-8 Hospital.

At the conference, Dr. Masao Hashimoto gave a lecture on bronchoscopy and ultrasound and directly performed biopsies on three patients suspected of having lung cancer in the operating room of the 19-8 Hospital.

Previously, lung tumors were diagnosed using transmural biopsy, a technique that only removed tumors from the periphery and had a very high complication rate.

With the bronchoscopy ultrasound-guided endoscopy (EBUS) technique transferred by Dr. Masao Hashimoto, there are two new techniques. Firstly, for tumors located near the airway, the EBUS method uses an ultrasound-guided probe to perform a biopsy at that location.

The second method follows the bronchial branches for biopsy, used for tumors located far from the center (peripheral).

The purpose is to definitively diagnose whether it is cancer, tuberculosis, or any other lung abnormality. A key aspect of this method is diagnosing the stage of cancer to determine the treatment plan. This method is highly specific for lung cancer, with a sensitivity and specificity of over 90%.

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Delegates attending the conference.

Speaking on the sidelines of the conference, MSc. Dr. Vu Thi Diu, Deputy Head of the Department of Respiratory Medicine, 19-8 Hospital, said that in Vietnam, the rate of lung diseases in general and lung cancer in particular is very high. Each year, Vietnam has more than 26,000 new cases of lung cancer, of which about 75% are diagnosed late, and the 5-year survival rate is only 14.8%. The mortality rate from lung cancer ranks second among all cancers.

"Therefore, early detection and diagnosis of lung lesions, especially lung cancer, is very important," Dr. Dịu said.

At the 19-8 Hospital, the number of patients seeking treatment and being admitted due to respiratory and lung diseases has increased. This is due to environmental pollution and increased smoking in recent years. On average, the hospital receives 60-80 patients per day for respiratory examinations; 50-80 patients are admitted for inpatient treatment, of which about 10% are lung cancer patients.

According to Dr. Dịu, at the 19-8 Hospital, bronchoscopy and transbronchial biopsy are routinely performed to diagnose lung diseases.

Early detection of lung cancer through endoscopic bronchoscopy (EBUS) -0

Dr. Masao Hashimoto is training doctors in the Department of Respiratory Medicine at 19-8 Hospital on endoscopic bronchoscopy ultrasound-assisted lung cancer biopsy (EBUS).

However, nowadays, endoscopic bronchoscopy with ultrasound (EBUS) is an advanced, modern, minimally invasive technique with a significantly lower complication rate. This technique greatly assists in the early diagnosis of lung cancer and in determining the optimal treatment method.

"Early detection of lung cancer is crucial, leading to highly effective treatment outcomes. We hope to implement this advanced technique as soon as possible to improve the quality of diagnosis and treatment for respiratory patients in general, and lung cancer and other lung diseases in particular," said Dr. Dịu.

According to Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Tien Quang, the 19-8 Hospital has sent respiratory doctors to Japan to study bronchoscopy ultrasound (EBUS) techniques and they have obtained certifications. The hospital is making efforts to purchase the equipment and in the near future this technique will be implemented at the 19-8 Hospital.

Source: https://cand.com.vn/y-te/phat-hien-som-ung-thu-phoi-nho-noi-soi-sieu-am-phe-quan-ebus--i793706/