Ultrasound evaluation of diaphragmatic function in lung cancer: a key to assessing disease severity

INTRODUCTION: Lung cancer is the second most common cancer in both men and women and the most common cause of cancer death. Thoracic ultrasound is a key element in the diagnosis and management of a multitude of diseases. Diaphragm dysfunction is an important cause of respiratory failure in patients with respiratory diseases which is associated with poor prognosis.EVIDENCE ACQUISITION: The string '((lung cancer), (diaphragm) AND (ultrasound))' was used in Google Scholar as a search strategy. The included studies represent the published articles and what we judged as having a significant impact in this field to outline the examined topic.EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS: Noninvasive assessment of diaphragmatic function by ultrasound could contribute to the assessment of disease severity.CONCLUSIONS: This manuscript aims to review the studies related to diaphragmatic function in lung cancer and its assessment.