By using a small balloon to gently widen the airways, this innovative method overcomes the physical limitations of conventional bronchoscopy, promising to revolutionize both the accuracy of early diagnosis and the potential for minimally invasive treatment. The work has been published in Thorax.

Lung cancer is a leading cause of cancer mortality worldwide. While CT scans have improved the detection of small, suspicious lesions in the peripheral lung fields, obtaining a definitive diagnosis requires a tissue biopsy.

However, the bronchi—the airways of the lung—become progressively narrower and more complex toward the periphery, making it physically impossible for conventional bronchoscopes to reach these remote targets. Clinicians were often forced to stop several centimeters away, limiting the precision of biopsies and subsequent treatment.