What should you know about EBUS and lung cancer?

Endobronchial ultrasound, or EBUS, combines a flexible camera with ultrasound. The clinician guides it through the mouth or nose into the breathing tubes, then uses ultrasound to locate lymph nodes and other structures beside the airways. A fine needle can collect cells or tissue from a selected area. This can help identify whether cancer cells are present and provide information used for staging. The sample may also support laboratory testing, including genomic tumour profiling, when the team needs to understand features that could influence treatment.

EBUS is usually performed with sedation or anaesthesia, so you may not remember the procedure clearly. It does not remove a lung tumour. Depending on the results, the wider plan may include surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, or supportive care.

Follow the instructions about fasting and medicines, especially blood thinners and diabetes medicines. Tell the team about allergies, breathing problems, sleep apnoea, and previous reactions to sedation. Arrange an adult to take you home if sedation is used. A sore throat, cough, or small amount of blood-streaked sputum can occur afterwards, but ask your unit what to expect for your procedure. Rest until the sedative has worn off and follow the discharge advice about eating, drinking, driving, and returning to medicines. Results may require more than one laboratory report, so ask when and how they will be discussed.

Call the procedure team for increasing chest discomfort, persistent bleeding, fever, or worsening cough. Seek urgent medical help for severe breathlessness, blue lips, fainting, confusion, or coughing up more than a small amount of blood. A new hoarse voice can have several causes; persistent voice change should be assessed rather than assumed to indicate cancer.

Ask which lymph nodes will be sampled, whether sedation or anaesthesia is planned, how to manage your regular medicines, when pathology results are expected, and how the findings could change the next step. Ask who to contact outside clinic hours.