Can endoscopic ultrasonography-guided fine-needle aspiration predict response to chemoradiation in non-small cell lung cancer? A pilot study.
BACKGROUND
Accurate prediction of pathologic response to chemoradiation (CHEMO-XRT) has a significant impact on the treatment of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and mediastinal lymph node (LN) metastasis (N2 disease).


OBJECTIVE
This pilot study evaluates the ability of EUS-FNA to predict pathologic response in LN following CHEMO-XRT in NSCLC patients with N2 disease.


METHODS
Retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data on patients with NSCLC and biopsy-proven N2 disease who underwent restaging by EUS following CHEMO-XRT. At restaging, FNA was performed on the same LN, if present, or any other visible LN in the posterior mediastinum. Response to therapy (N0 disease) was defined by either absence of mediastinal LN or residual disease on FNA. Those staged N0 by EUS underwent tumor resection with complete LN dissection.


RESULTS
Fourteen patients met the criteria for evaluation. Restaging by EUS suggested disease response in 7 patients and residual disease in 6; tissue yield was unsatisfactory in 1 patient. Eleven of 14 patients in whom mediastinal LN were seen at restaging by EUS underwent FNA: the aspirate was benign in 4, residual disease was found in 6, and an inadequate sample was obtained in 1 patient. In 3 patients no mediastinal LN were evident at EUS. Final diagnosis on the 7 patients in whom EUS suggested N0 disease was established at surgery: EUS was true negative in 6 and false negative in 1. Of the 6 patients with residual disease, 5 underwent palliative CHEMO-XRT and 1 underwent extended tumor resection. The patient in whom tissue sampling was inadequate was found to have residual disease at surgery. The diagnostic accuracy of EUS-FNA for predicting mediastinal response to preoperative CHEMO-XRT was 86%.


CONCLUSIONS
EUS-FNA appears to qualify as an accurate, safe and minimally invasive diagnostic technique for restaging of mediastinal LN after CHEMO-XRT in NSCLC patients. Given this promising preliminary data, a prospective evaluation is justified.
Division of Gastroenterology-Hepatology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 35294-0007, USA. svaradarajulu@yahoo.com
Shyam
S
Varadarajulu
Mohamad
M
Eloubeidi
D000368:Aged; D044963:Biopsy, Fine-Needle; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; D004724:Endoscopy / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008479:Mediastinal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000556:secondary* / Q000628:therapy; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D018365:Neoplasm, Residual / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011446:Prospective Studies; D018714:Radiotherapy, Adjuvant; D012189:Retrospective Studies