Future directions in EUS-guided tissue acquisition.
Endoscopic ultrasound fine-needle aspiration is considered the technique of choice for acquisition of tissue in and around the digestive tract. The emergence of selective, targeted therapies, directed toward a particular molecular characteristic of an individual patient's tumor is driving the need for biomarker identification and testing in several cancer types. The technique needs improvement to provide more material, in fewer passes, with more flexible, sharp, and clearly echovisible needles, and with a similar safety. Another trend is the avoidance of tissue acquisition, or a more targeted puncture with the help of ancillary techniques, such as optical biopsies with needle-based confocal laser endomicroscopy, contrast-enhanced ultrasonography, and elastography.
Department of Hepato-gastroenterology, Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc, Université Catholique de Louvain, Avenue Hippocrate 10, Brussels 1200, Belgium. Electronic address: pdeprez@uclouvain.be.
Pierre H
PH
Deprez
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000378:metabolism; D004067:Digestive System Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D054459:Elasticity Imaging Techniques / Q000379:methods; D061765:Endoscopic Ultrasound-Guided Fine Needle Aspiration / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods / Q000639:trends*; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D009339:Needles
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor
Elastography; Endoscopic ultrasound; Fine-needle aspiration; Molecular testing