Endobronchiales Stenting

Patients with lung cancer often have bulky endobronchial disease, endobronchial extension, or airway compression. Many endobronchial treatment modalities are available to supplement traditional therapies for advanced lung cancer. Since the early 1980s, technical advances in interventional techniques have enhanced symptom-free survival and quality of life for patients with lung cancer. Although interventional procedures are not definitive therapies, they often relieve the strangling sensation produced by airway occlusion. For patients with respiratory symptoms associated with their disease, the stent placement provides symptom palliation and improves quality of life. The author reviews the use of several available endobronchial stents.