Clinical Trials Search at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center

Malignant pleural effusion remains a debilitating complication of end stage cancer, which can be greatly improved by the introduction of the indwelling tunneled pleural catheter (IPC). However, there is no standard of care regarding drainage and limited data on the utility of different drainage techniques. In addition, many patients develop discomfort and chest pain during drainage. The investigators propose to evaluate gravity drainage and suction drainage on quality of life measures and outcomes.

This is a multi-center clinical trial evaluating the effect of transbronchial mediastinal cryobiopsy for its ability to improve the likelihood of obtaining tissue sufficient for molecular analysis. Patients in outpatient clinics or pre-operative holding areas planning to undergo a bronchoscopic biopsy of a suspected malignant lesion (peripheral or mediastinal) for initial diagnosis, staging, or tissue acquisition for molecular analysis will be considered for enrollment and consented. Patients will only be enrolled if intraoperative ROSE suggests malignancy. Patients will be randomized to continue with the operator's initial EBUS-TBNA needle or switch to a cryoprobe to perform a sampling.