Summary of different treatment modalities, their specific roles and their aims of treatment
| Treatment modality | Indications/specific role | Aim of treatment | Indication for life-threatening situations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Laser | Debulking in endobronchial tumours | Debulking and relief of airway obstruction with immediate effect | Yes |
| Electrocautery | Debulking in endobronchial tumours | Debulking and relief of airway obstruction with immediate effect | Yes |
| APC | Debulking in endobronchial tumours | Debulking and relief of airway obstruction with immediate effect | Yes |
| Cryoextraction/cryotherapy | Debulking in endobronchial tumours | Debulking and relief airway obstruction with immediate effect | Yes |
| Mechanical debulking | Debulking in endobronchial tumours | Debulking and relief of airway obstruction with immediate effect | Yes |
| Balloon dilatation | Extraluminal compression | Relief of airway obstruction with immediate effect | Yes |
| Stent | Extraluminal compression | Relief of airway obstruction with immediate effect | Yes |
| Photodynamic therapy | Endobronchial treatment in inoperable lung cancer | Local disease control | No |
| Brachytherapy | Treatment in early invasive mucosal or submucosal NSCLC in nonsurgical candidates Locally advanced centrally located lung cancer Endobronchial boost to full-course external beam radiation therapy with incomplete response/recurrence | Local disease control | No |
| MWA | Preparation for the debulking of endobronchial tumours | Relief of airway obstruction with immediate effect in combination with mechanical debulking | Yes |
| Intratumoural therapy | Administration of cytotoxic agents within the tumours with EBUS | Local disease control | No |
APC: argon plasma coagulation; MWA: microwave ablation; NSCLC: nonsmall cell lung cancer; EBUS: endobronchial ultrasound.