Endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration in the diagnosis and staging of lung cancer and its impact on surgical staging.
OBJECTIVE
The diagnosis and staging of lung cancer critically depends on surgical procedures. Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) -guided fine-needle aspiration (FNA) is an accurate, safe, and minimally invasive technique for the analysis of mediastinal lymph nodes (LNs) and can additionally detect tumor invasion (T4) in patients with centrally located tumors. The goal of this study was to assess to what extent EUS-FNA could prevent surgical interventions.


METHODS
Two hundred forty two consecutive patients with suspected (n = 142) or proven (n = 100) lung cancer and enlarged (> 1 cm) mediastinal LNs at chest computed tomography were scheduled for mediastinoscopy/tomy (94%) or exploratory thoracotomy (6%). Before surgery, all patients underwent EUS-FNA. If EUS-FNA established LN metastases, tumor invasion, or small-cell lung cancer (SCLC), scheduled surgical interventions were cancelled. Surgical-pathologic verification occurred when EUS-FNA did not demonstrate advanced disease. Cancelled surgical interventions because of EUS findings was the primary end point.


RESULTS
EUS-FNA prevented 70% of scheduled surgical procedures because of the demonstration of LN metastases in non-small-cell lung cancer (52%), tumor invasion (T4) (4%), tumor invasion and LN metastases (5%), SCLC (8%), or benign diagnoses (1%). Sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy for EUS in mediastinal analysis were 91%, 100% and 93%, respectively. No complications were recorded.


CONCLUSIONS
EUS-FNA qualifies as the initial staging procedure of choice for patients with (suspected) lung cancer and enlarged mediastinal LNs. Implementation of EUS-FNA in staging algorithms for lung cancer might reduce the number of surgical staging procedures considerably.
Annema
Jouke T
JT
Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands. j.t.annema@lumc.nl
Versteegh
Michel I
MI
Veseliç
Maud
M
Voigt
Pieter
P
Rabe
Klaus F
KF
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000465:Algorithms; D044963:Biopsy, Fine-Needle / Q000295:instrumentation*; D019160:Endosonography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008482:Mediastinum; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging / Q000295:instrumentation; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity