American Association of Bronchology and Interventional Pulmonology Essential Knowledge in Interventional Pulmonology Series: Advanced Diagnostic Bronchoscopy in Lung Cancer: Closing the Diagnostic Gap and Beyond.

The American Association of Bronchology and Interventional Pulmonology (AABIP) Essential Knowledge in Interventional Pulmonology Series aims to provide clinicians with concise, up-to-date reviews of key topics in the field, presented on a 3-year rotating cycle. The 2025 series focused on advanced diagnostic bronchoscopy. In this article, we provide an update on the bronchoscopic approach to malignant disease, examining whether navigational bronchoscopy has closed the diagnostic gap with transthoracic needle biopsy for peripheral pulmonary lesions, how advanced bronchoscopic technologies enable integrated diagnosis and mediastinal staging workflows, and whether these clinical benefits translate into meaningful economic value. These reviews are designed to complement the Essential Knowledge in Interventional Pulmonology Lecture Series delivered at the 2025 AABIP Annual Conference, which is available for viewing on the AABIP website: https://aabip.memberclicks.net/essential-knowledge-in-interventional-pulmonology-series.