Endoscopic Ultrasound in Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer and Negative Mediastinum on Computed Tomography

Methods for staging non-small cell lung cancer: Diagnosis and management of lung cancer, 3rd ed: American College of Chest Physicians evidence-based clinical practice guidelines

BACKGROUND

Correctly staging lung cancer is important because the treatment options and prognosis differ significantly by stage. Several noninvasive imaging studies and invasive tests are available. Understanding the accuracy, advantages, and disadvantages of the available methods for staging non-small cell lung cancer is critical to decision-making.

METHODS

Test accuracies for the available staging studies were updated from the second iteration of the American College of Chest Physicians Lung Cancer Guidelines. Systematic searches of the MEDLINE database were performed up to June 2012 with the inclusion of selected meta-analyses, practice guidelines, and reviews. Study designs and results are summarized in evidence tables.

RESULTS

The sensitivity and specificity of CT scanning for identifying mediastinal lymph node metastasis were approximately 55% and 81%, respectively, confirming that CT scanning has limited ability either to rule in or exclude mediastinal metastasis. For PET scanning, estimates of sensitivity and specificity for identifying mediastinal metastasis were approximately 77% and 86%, respectively. These findings demonstrate that PET scanning is more accurate than CT scanning, but tissue biopsy is still required to confirm PET scan findings. The needle techniques endobronchial ultrasound-needle aspiration, endoscopic ultrasound-needle aspiration, and combined endobronchial ultrasound/endoscopic ultrasound-needle aspiration have sensitivities of approximately 89%, 89%, and 91%, respectively. In direct comparison with surgical staging, needle techniques have emerged as the best first diagnostic tools to obtain tissue. Based on randomized controlled trials, PET or PET-CT scanning is recommended for staging and to detect unsuspected metastatic disease and avoid noncurative resections.

CONCLUSIONS

Since the last iteration of the staging guidelines, PET scanning has assumed a more prominent role both in its use prior to surgery and when evaluating for metastatic disease. Minimally invasive needle techniques to stage the mediastinum have become increasingly accepted and are the tests of first choice to confirm mediastinal disease in accessible lymph node stations. If negative, these needle techniques should be followed by surgical biopsy. All abnormal scans should be confirmed by tissue biopsy (by whatever method is available) to ensure accurate staging. Evidence suggests that more complete staging improves patient outcomes.

Endoscopic ultrasonography/fine-needle aspiration and endobronchial ultrasonography/fine-needle aspiration for lung cancer staging

This article reviews different techniques available for diagnosis and staging of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The advantages and disadvantages of each staging method are highlighted. The role of the gastroenterologist in NSCLC staging is explored. A new algorithm is proposed for the staging of NSCLC that incorporates endoscopic and endobronchial ultrasonography for mediastinal staging in patients with intrathoracic disease.

[New endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) applications in lung cancer: evaluation of patients with negative mediastinal CT and re-staging after neoadjuvant treatment]

The main purpose of staging in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is to assess mediastinal lymph node involvement, with thoracic CT being the main non-invasive test for this. However, given that up to 15% of patients who show no mediastinal lymph node involvement in the CT have lymph node metastasis during surgery, other examinations are required. Endoscopic ultrasonography guided fine-needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) has shown to be able to detect advanced disease (metastatic mediastinal lymph nodes, adrenal metastasis, mediastinal invasion by the tumour) in approximately 25% of patients with a CT that suggested a non-advanced disease. Another situation in which CT has a very limited value is in the evaluation of the response to induction therapy, with its most limiting factor being its intrinsic inability to distinguish between a tumour and necrosis. In this context, EUS-FNA has shown to have a good performance, with a sensitivity, negative predictive value and precision of 75%, 67% and 83%, respectively. In conclusion, EUS-FNA may be considered a good alternative in the pre-operative staging of patients with NSCLC, with and without diseased mediastinal lymph nodes in CT, and could play an important role in the mediastinal re-staging of these patients by identifying a patient sub-group who might benefit from additional surgical treatment.

Role of endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration in lung and mediastinal lesions

BACKGROUND

Endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) was initially introduced for diagnosing gastrointestinal and pancreatic lesions, and later on for lung and mediastinal lesions. It can provide tissue diagnosis of lung cancer where bronchoscopy is non-diagnostic. It is a minimally invasive method for lymph node (N) and metastasis (M) staging of non-small cell lung cancer, and is helpful for tissue proof of mediastinal mass with unknown origin. Few data on this topic have been reported from Eastern countries. We report our experience of using EUS-FNA for tissue proof of lung and mediastinal lesions.

METHODS

This was a retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data of 20 cases, with 21 EUS-FNAs of lung and mediastinal lesions (1 EUS-FNA performed on left adrenal gland) for tissue diagnosis and staging. With patients' informed written consent and fasting for 8 hours, EUS-FNA was performed with a linear echoendoscope using a 22- or 5-gauge needle and a syringe with 10-20 mL negative pressure. The cytology smear was fixed with 98% alcohol, while cell-block and tissue were sent for histology. There was no onsite cytopathologist. EUS-guided Tru-Cut biopsy was performed in 1 case. Malignancy was proven by FNA biopsy results, mediastinoscopy when performed, or by clinical course and follow-up.

RESULTS

Of the 20 cases, 19 were male and 1 was female; mean age was 63.9 ± 12.6 years. Median tumor size was 2.6 cm (range, 1.8-5.0 cm), and median number of punctures was 3 (range, 2-7). Eighteen EUS-FNA punctures were performed at the mediastinum, and 2 directly on lung mass. The size of the left adrenal metastasis for extramediastinal EUS-FNA was 1.2 cm. Of the 16 EUS-FNA-positive cases, 12 were for tissue diagnosis, 3 were for both tissue diagnosis and staging (N2 and M1 staging), and 1 was for N2 staging. EUS-FNA provided a tissue diagnosis in 14 cases where bronchoscopy was negative. In 16 positive EUS-FNAs, all except 1 had adequate tissue for FNA biopsy. The sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic accuracy of EUS-FNA were 84.2%, 100%, and 85%, respectively.

CONCLUSION

EUS-FNA can diagnose lung cancer by confirmation of mediastinal lymph node metastasis, by direct puncture of lung tumor close to the esophagus. It is useful for lymph node (N) stations 5, 7, 8 and metastasis (M) staging in non-small cell lung cancer, and for the diagnosis of mediastinal mass of unknown etiology.

Lung cancer staging by combined endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS) and endoscopic ultrasound (EUS): The gastroenterologist's perspective

This review deals with the combined approach of endoscopic ultrasound and endobronchial ultrasound for lung cancer staging. The review provides an overview for the gastroenterologist who performs endosonography with regard to the current evidence supporting the use of endoscopic ultrasound and endobronchial ultrasound in clinical practice.

Mediastinal staging of NSCLC with endoscopic and endobronchial ultrasound

Mediastinal staging of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is of paramount importance. It distinguishes operable from inoperable disease, guides prognosis and allows accurate comparison of outcomes in clinical trials. Noninvasive imaging modalities for mediastinal staging include CT, PET and integrated PET-CT. Mediastinoscopy is considered the current gold standard; however, each of these techniques has limitations in sensitivity or specificity. These inadequacies mean that 10% of operations performed with curative intent in patients with NSCLC are futile, owing to inaccurate locoregional lymph-node staging. Endoscopic and endobronchial ultrasound-guided mediastinal lymph-node aspiration are important and promising innovative techniques with reported sensitivities and specificities higher than standard investigations. The role of these techniques in mediastinal lymph-node staging is evolving rapidly and early data suggest that they may diminish the need for invasive surgical staging of the mediastinum. Furthermore, these are outpatient procedures that do not require general anesthesia and may be combined safely in the same sitting, for optimal accuracy of mediastinal staging. We propose a new algorithm for the diagnosis and staging of NSCLC, based on the current evidence, which incorporates endoscopic and endobronchial ultrasound as a first investigation after CT in patients with intrathoracic disease.

Minimally invasive staging of N2 disease: endobronchial ultrasound/transesophageal endoscopic ultrasound, mediastinoscopy, and thoracoscopy

In 2005 the American College of Surgeons conducted a survey examining lung cancer practice patterns at 729 hospitals in the United States. In 11,668 surgically treated patients, 92% received a preoperative chest CT. Only 27% of these patients underwent mediastinoscopy, and lymph node material was sampled in less than half of these patients. At the time of surgical resection, additional mediastinal lymph nodes were sampled in only 58% of patients. In the remaining 42% only the lymph node material attached to the surgical specimen (N1 nodes) was sampled. Although this article discusses the finer points of the minimally invasive evaluation of the N2 lymph nodes, any procedure to evaluate these nodes is better than simply ignoring them.

Diagnostics and staging procedures in non-small cell lung cancer - is less more?

INTRODUCTION

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a common cancer with approximately 85% of patients dying of the disease. The only chance for cure is in the early stages, when surgery or definite chemoradiotherapy can be performed. Diagnosis and staging of lung cancer can sometimes be difficult, particularly because the intrathoracic structures are not easy to reach.

OBJECTIVE

This review discusses the diagnosis and staging of lung cancer.

RESULTS

When performing lung cancer diagnostics, both invasive and noninvasive procedures, such as computed tomogram of the chest, bronchoscopy and abdominal ultrasound, are mandatory. Suspected mediastinal involvement should be differentiated: bulky disease, contralateral or high mediastinal nodes need further clarification by endoscopic ultrasound, endobronchial ultrasound or mediastinoscopy. In opposition to current guidelines, in all other cases, surgery should be performed. Positron emission tomography will gain even more importance when becoming widely accessible and might replace other imaging techniques in the future. In case of advanced disease, staging should be limited to those examinations with impact on symptom control.

CONCLUSION

The diagnosis and staging of lung cancer should involve both invasive and noninvasive diagnostic procedures. In the case of advanced disease, staging should be limited to those examinations with impact on symptom control, whereas early stages call for rapid and thorough diagnosis.

[Transesophageal ultrasonography for mediastinum diagnostics]

Along with endosonographic fine needle aspiration, transoesophageal ultrasonography is now well established for staging gastrointestinal tumors. It is especially well suited to assessing mediastinal structures due to its transoesophageal approach and its high local definition. The mediastinum can be viewed all the way from the tracheal bifurcation to the diaphragm. This technique is already in regular use for pulmonary problems and especially for staging pulmonary carcinomas.

Esophageal endoscopic ultrasound fine-needle aspiration as a diagnostic tool

Endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy (EUS-FNA) may be employed for procurement of a tissue diagnosis in a minimally invasive fashion. In many cases, EUS-FNA excludes the need for more invasive diagnostic procedures when a tissue diagnosis is required. In patients with esophageal neoplasms, EUS-FNA is a safe and accurate tool for the preoperative diagnosis of metastatic spread to the paraesophageal and celiac lymph nodes. EUS-FNA is also increasingly recognized as an accurate, cost-effective and safe means of evaluating and staging patients with lung cancer. EUS-FNA is useful in providing tissue confirmation of cancer in cases in which bronchoscopy or computed tomography-guided approaches has been non-diagnostic. EUS-guided therapies are paving the way for therapeutic/interventional EUS. The interventional endoscopist will now play a more central role in the diagnosis and treatment of various gastrointestinal malignancies by delivering antitumor agents.

Invasive mediastinal staging of lung cancer: ACCP evidence-based clinical practice guidelines (2nd edition)

BACKGROUND

The treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is determined by accurate definition of the stage. If there are no distant metastases, the status of the mediastinal lymph nodes is critical. Although imaging studies can provide some guidance, in many situations invasive staging is necessary. Many different complementary techniques are available.

METHODS

The current guidelines and medical literature that are applicable to this issue were identified by computerized search and were evaluated using standardized methods. Recommendations were framed using the approach described by the Health and Science Policy Committee of the American College of Chest Physicians.

RESULTS

Performance characteristics of invasive staging interventions are defined. However, a direct comparison of these results is not warranted because the patients selected for these procedures have been different. It is crucial to define patient groups, and to define the need for an invasive test and selection of the best test based on this.

CONCLUSIONS

In patients with extensive mediastinal infiltration, invasive staging is not needed. In patients with discrete node enlargement, staging by CT or positron emission tomography (PET) scanning is not sufficiently accurate. The sensitivity of various techniques is similar in this setting, although the false-negative (FN) rate of needle techniques is higher than that for mediastinoscopy. In patients with a stage II or a central tumor, invasive staging of the mediastinal nodes is necessary. Mediastinoscopy is generally preferable because of the higher FN rates of needle techniques in the setting of normal-sized lymph nodes. Patients with a peripheral clinical stage I NSCLC do not usually need invasive confirmation of mediastinal nodes unless a PET scan finding is positive in the nodes. The staging of patients with left upper lobe tumors should include an assessment of the aortopulmonary window lymph nodes.

Transaortic fine-needle aspiration of centrally located lung cancer under endoscopic ultrasound guidance: the final frontier

We describe endoscopic ultrasound guided fine-needle aspiration of a mass adjacent to the descending thoracic aorta, which was performed without complication.

Impact of Preoperative Endoscopic Ultrasound on Non-small Cell Lung Cancer Staging

AIM

To determine if the addition of preoperative endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) to non-small cell lung cancer staging can reduce the proportion of patients in whom malignant mediastinal lymph nodes (inoperable disease) are discovered at surgery.

METHODS

All patients with lung cancer who underwent mediastinoscopy or thoracotomy for cancer diagnosis, staging, or treatment from 1999 to 2005 were identified. Patients who had undergone preoperative EUS were designated as the EUS group. The control group was composed of similar patients who had not undergone preoperative EUS, and were frequency matched to those in the EUS group in a 3:1 ratio by preoperative cancer stage. The proportion of patients in whom malignant mediastinal lymph nodes were diagnosed at surgery was the primary outcome.

RESULTS

Forty-four patients (average age, 67.8 years) met criteria for the EUS group, and 132 patients (average age, 67.4 years) were selected as control subjects. Overall, in the EUS group, 3 of 44 patients (6.8%) were found to have malignant mediastinal lymph nodes at surgery, compared with 41 of 132 patients (31.1%) in the control group (p = 0.003). In patients undergoing thoracotomy for cancer resection, 3% in the EUS group, compared with 20% in the control group, were found to have malignant mediastinal lymph nodes at surgery (p = 0.01). There was also a trend toward lower yield of mediastinoscopy done for cancer diagnosis or staging in the EUS group (p = 0.08).

CONCLUSIONS

Preoperative EUS in lung cancer patients may reduce unnecessary surgery at which advanced inoperable disease is discovered.

Endoscopic Ultrasonography-guided Fine Needle Aspiration for Computed Tomography-negative and Positron Emission Tomography-positive Mediastinal Lymph Node in a Patient with Recurrent Lung Cancer

Biopsy is required to confirm lymph node (LN) metastasis in position emission tomography (PET)-positive LN due to the low specificity of PET. Currently, invasive surgical techniques such as mediastinoscopy or mediastinotomy are standard procedures for obtaining LN specimen. It would be desirable to have a less invasive way of sampling suspicious LN. Herein, we report a case of successful endoscopic ultrasonography-guided fine needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) for the diagnosis of CT-negative and PET-positive LN that was found after curative resection in lung cancer. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first description in Korea to perform EUS-FNA for the evaluation of metastatic LN during the follow-up period after lung cancer resection.A 63-years old male patient was diagnosed as a stage T4N0M0 non-small lung cancer. VATS-aided left upper lobectomy with mediastinal LN dissection was performed, and the patient revealed no recurrence for a year. During the follow up, serum level of CEA increased to 7.8 ng/mL, but CT failed to show any suspicious lesions. On PET-CT finding, a hypermetabolic lesion was noted in paraesophageal LN. We performed EUS-guided FNA to obtain a biopsy specimen from paraesophageal lymph node, and this proved to be a metastatic adenocarcinoma. In conclusion, EUS-FNA provided minimally invasive confirmation of the metastatic LN in recurrent a lung cancer patient after curative resection. EUS-FNA should be considered for suspicious metastatic LN to confirm malignancy.

Utilidad de la ultrasonografía endobronquial con punción-aspiración en tiempo real para la estadificación de la neoplasia broncopulmonar

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

To determine the usefulness of endobronchial ultrasonography (EBUS) with real-time needle aspiration (NA) for lung cancer staging.

PATIENTS AND METHOD

All patients examined with EBUS and real-time NA to measure and sample mediastinal and lobar nodes for lung cancer staging during one year were included, independently of the size of the mediastinal nodes at computed tomography (CT).

RESULTS

Eighty two nodes > 5 mm were sampled using EBUS-NA (16.0 [7.2] mm; 23 cases <or= 10 mm, 28.0%), from 67 patients were examined for staging (64.0 [12.4] years). NA from 72 nodes was adequate (87.8%) (38 normal node, 46.3%; 31 neoplasia, 37.8%; 3 granuloma, 3.7%), and EBUS-NA found neoplasia in 4/23 nodes <or= 10 mm (17.4%). EBUS-NA showed neoplasic nodes in 5 out of 24 patients with a normal mediastinum at CT (20.8%). The use of EBUS-NA avoided mediastinoscopy in 62 of the 67 patients included in the study (92.5%).

CONCLUSIONS

The use of EBUS with real-time NA on mediastinal and lobar nodes obtain representative pathological samples and allow the avoidance of mediastinoscopy in over 90% of the patients referred for lung cancer staging.

Imaging in the diagnosis and treatment of non-small cell lung cancer

The available tools for diagnosing and staging lung cancer patients can be broadly categorized into non-invasive, minimally invasive and invasive (surgical) modalities. Non-invasive modalities include CT and PET. Minimally invasive modalities are endoscopic approaches, including endoscopic ultrasound, endobronchial ultrasound and transbronchial fine needle aspiration without ultrasound guidance. This review focuses on the non-invasive and minimally invasive techniques involving imaging. Application of Bayesian principles indicates that tests with a high sensitivity and specificity for detection of both systemic metastases and mediastinal nodal involvement are required for treatment selection and planning in patients with non-small cell lung cancer who would be considered for treatment with curative intent. Combined PET/CT using the glucose analogue fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose currently provides the best diagnostic performance for this purpose and should now be considered the standard of care for staging non-small cell lung cancer. Endoscopic ultrasound and endobronchial ultrasound have important complementary roles to allow further evaluation of equivocal nodal abnormalities on PET or CT and to allow pathological samples to be obtained. Diagnostic CT has an important role in defining tumour relations for patients deemed suitable for surgical resection and as the initial investigation for patients with potential symptoms of lung cancer or proven lung cancer that would not be considered for curative treatment on medical grounds.

Endoscopic Ultrasound-Guided Fine-Needle Aspiration for Non-small Cell Lung Cancer Staging

BACKGROUND

Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)-guided fine-needle aspiration (FNA) is a minimally invasive alternative technique for mediastinal staging of non-small cell lung cancer. A metaanalysis was performed to estimate the diagnostic accuracy of EUS-FNA for staging mediastinal lymph nodes (N2/N3 disease) in patients with lung cancer.

METHODS

Relevant studies were identified using Medline (1966 to November 2005), CINAHL, and citation indexing. Included studies used histology or adequate clinical follow-up (> 6 months) as the "gold standard," and provided sufficient data for calculating sensitivity and specificity. Summary receiver operating characteristic curves metaanalysis was performed to estimate the pooled sensitivity and specificity.

RESULTS

In 18 eligible studies, EUS-FNA identified 83% of patients (95% confidence interval [CI], 78 to 87%) with positive mediastinal lymph nodes (pooled sensitivity) and 97% of patients (95% CI, 96 to 98%) with negative mediastinal lymph nodes (pooled specificity). In eight studies that were limited to patients who had abnormal mediastinal lymph nodes seen on CT scans, the sensitivity was 90% (95% CI, 84 to 94%) and the specificity was 97% (95% CI, 95 to 98%). In patients without abnormal mediastinal lymph nodes seen on CT scans (four studies), the pooled sensitivity was 58% (95% CI, 39 to 75%). Minor complications were reported in 10 cases (0.8%). There were no major complications.

CONCLUSIONS

EUS-FNA is a safe modality for the invasive staging of lung cancer that is highly sensitive when used to confirm metastasis to mediastinal lymph nodes seen on CT scans. In addition, among lung cancer patients with normal mediastinal adenopathy seen on CT scans, despite lower sensitivity, it has the potential to prevent unnecessary surgery in a large proportion of cases missed by CT scanning.

Endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration in the evaluation of suspected lung cancer

BACKGROUND AND AIM

The role of endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) in the diagnosis and staging of lung cancer is still not fully explored. This prospective study aimed to define the effectiveness of EUS-FNA as an adjunct to computer tomography (CT) and bronchoscopy in the evaluation of suspected lung cancer in routine clinical practice.

METHODS

Over a period of 20 weeks, the data of 16 consecutive patients suspected of lung cancer on account of respiratory symptoms, and/or the findings of either a mass or mediastinal lymph nodes on helical CT, who were referred for evaluation by EUS, were prospectively collected. Fourteen of these patients underwent sequential bronchoscopy followed by EUS-FNA in the same setting.

RESULTS

Bronchoscopy was performed in 15 patients, while EUS was performed in all 16 patients. Bronchoscopy diagnosed 9 cases of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) but was falsely negative in 3 cases of malignancies, which were all established by EUS-FNA of mediastinal lymph nodes (2 cases of NSCLC and 1 case of esophageal squamous cell cancer). EUS-FNA also diagnosed advanced NSCLC in another patient who did not undergo bronchoscopy, such that eventually 13 patients were diagnosed to have malignancies. Distant metastases were diagnosed by EUS-FNA in 4 cases of NSCLC (2 cases of left adrenal gland and 2 cases of pancreatic metastases). Two patients were diagnosed to have sarcoidosis and 1 patient was diagnosed to have pneumoconiosis eventually.

CONCLUSIONS

EUS-FNA is useful as an adjunct to CT and bronchoscopy in the evaluation of suspected lung cancer.

Endoscopic ultrasound as a first test for diagnosis and staging of lung cancer: a prospective study

RATIONALE

Multiple tests are required for the management of lung cancer.

OBJECTIVES

Endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) was evaluated as a single test for the diagnosis and staging (thoracic and extrathoracic) of lung cancer.

METHODS

Consecutive subjects with computed tomography (CT) findings of a lung mass were enrolled for EUS and results were compared with those from CT and positron emission tomography scans.

RESULTS

Of 113 subjects with lung cancer, EUS was performed as a first test (after CT scan) for diagnosis in 93 (82%) of them. EUS-FNA established tissue diagnosis in 70% of cases. EUS-FNA, CT, and positron emission tomography detected metastases to the mediastinal lymph nodes with accuracies of 93, 81, and 83%, respectively. EUS-FNA was significantly better than CT at detecting distant metastases (accuracies of 97 and 89%, respectively; p = 0.02). Metastases to lymph nodes at the celiac axis (CLNs) were observed in 11% of cases. The diagnostic yields of EUS-FNA and CT for detection of metastases to the CLNs were 100 and 50%, respectively (p < 0.05). EUS was able to detect small metastases (less than 1 cm) often missed by CT. Metastasis to the CLNs was a predictor of poor survival of subjects with non-small cell lung cancer, irrespective of the size of the CLNs. Of 44 cases with resectable tumor on CT scan, EUS-FNA avoided thoracotomy in 14% of cases.

CONCLUSIONS

EUS-FNA as a first test (after CT) has high diagnostic yield and accuracy for detecting lung cancer metastases to the mediastinum and distant sites. Metastasis to the CLNs is associated with poor prognosis. EUS-FNA is able to detect occult metastasis to the CLNs and thus avoids thoracotomy.

Transesophageal ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration improves mediastinal staging in patients with non-small cell lung cancer and normal mediastinum on computed tomography

The aim of the current study was to prospectively assess the value of transesophageal ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) in the mediastinal staging of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and CT negative for lymph node (LN) metastases, candidates for surgical resection. EUS-FNA was performed using the standard technique and LNs with at least one morphological feature suggestive of malignancy were sampled. Pathological exam of surgical specimens or tumor positive cytology was used as gold standard. Forty seven patients were included, 21% of whom had advanced disease (pN2) undetected by CT. EUS-FNA demonstrated LN metastases in 50% of them (11% of the whole series), and there were no false positives, resulting in a sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values and accuracy of 50%, 100%, 100%, 88% and 89%, respectively. In conclusion, EUS-FNA improves mediastinal staging in patients with NSCLC and CT negative for mediastinal nodes. Therefore, EUS-FNA should be considered in any patient with NSCLC and no distant metastases before any therapeutic decision is taken.

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.

PATIENTS AND 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.

Endoscopic ultrasound and positron emission tomography for lung cancer staging

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Accurate assessment of mediastinal lymph nodes is vital for optimum treatment allocation in lung cancer patients. Currently available strategies fail to identify many patients with advanced mediastinal disease, resulting in unnecessary surgery. We prospectively compared 2 promising new modalities, positron emission tomography (PET) and endoscopic ultrasound (EUS), for staging mediastinal lymph nodes.

METHODS

Consenting patients with lung cancer who also were suitable candidates for surgery were enrolled in the study. Patients underwent both PET and EUS. Outcomes were analyzed by surgery results or follow-up with serial imaging.

RESULTS

Seventy-two eligible patients were enrolled, and adequate data were available for 65 patients. The final diagnosis was based on tissue analysis in 59 patients and 1-year radiologic follow-up evaluation in 6 patients. PET correctly diagnosed mediastinal lymph node status in 77% of patients, and EUS fine-needle aspiration was correct in 94% of patients (P = .012). The overall sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of PET were 61%, 91%, and 77% compared with 87%, 100%, and 94% for EUS. We estimated that EUS obviated a surgical procedure in 55% (95% confidence interval, 40%-69%) of patients with radiologic evidence of mediastinal metastasis, and in 22% (95% confidence interval, 10%-41%) of patients without radiologic evidence of mediastinal metastasis.

CONCLUSIONS

EUS fine-needle aspiration was more accurate than PET in staging mediastinal lymph nodes in lung cancer patients, and resulted in a substantial reduction in mediastinoscopy and thoracotomy.

Review of endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration cytology

This review, based on the Hennepin County Medical Center experience and review of the literature, vastly covers the up-to-date role of endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) and EUS-guided fine-needle aspiration (FNA) in evaluating tumorous lesions of the gastrointestinal tract and adjacent organs. Emphasis is given to the tumoral and nodal staging of esophageal, pulmonary, and pancreatic cancer. This review also discusses technical, pathological, and gastroenterologic aspects and the role of the pathologist and endosonographer in the evaluation of these lesions, as well as the corresponding FNA cytology and differential diagnosis.

Endoscopic ultrasound guided biopsy performed routinely in lung cancer staging spares futile thoracotomies: preliminary results from a randomised clinical trial

BACKGROUND

Up to 45% of operations with curative intent for non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) can be regarded as futile, apparently because the stage of the disease is more advanced than expected preoperatively. During the past decade several studies have evaluated the usefulness of endoscopic ultrasound guided fine needle aspiration biopsy (EUS-FNA) in lung cancer staging with promising results. However, no randomised trials have been performed, in which a staging strategy with EUS-FNA performed in all patients is compared with a conventional workup.

METHODS

Before surgery (i.e. mediastinoscopy and subsequent thoracotomy) 104 patients from one hospital were randomly assigned to either a conventional workup (CWU), including EUS-FNA only for selected patients, or a strategy where all patients were offered EUS-FNA (routine EUS-FNA) in addition to CWU. Patients were followed up for a median period of 1.3 years (range 0.2-2.4 years). Thoracotomy was regarded as futile if the patient had an explorative thoracotomy without tumour resection or if a resected patient had recurrent disease or died from lung cancer during follow-up. Analysis was by intention to treat.

RESULTS

Fifty-three patients were randomly assigned to routine EUS-FNA and 51 patients to CWU. EUS-FNA was performed in 50 patients (94%) in the routine EUS-FNA group and in 14 patients (27%) in the CWU group. In the routine EUS-FNA group five patients (9%) had a futile thoracotomy, compared with 13 (25%) in the CWU group, p = 0.03.

CONCLUSION

Addition of routine-EUS-FNA to standard workup in routine clinical practice improved selection of surgically curable patients with NSCLC.

EUS-guided FNA immediately after unrevealing transbronchial needle aspiration in the evaluation of mediastinal lymphadenopathy: a prospective study

BACKGROUND

Transbronchial needle aspiration (TBNA) and EUS-guided FNA (EUS-FNA) are minimally invasive diagnostic approaches to mediastinal lymphadenopathy. Rapid on-site cytopathologic evaluation (ROSE) may facilitate the decision whether to proceed to a second procedure in the same session. The aim of this study was to determine the utility of TBNA with ROSE, combined with the option for immediate EUS-FNA in a single-session approach to mediastinal lymphadenopathy.

METHODS

We prospectively recruited 20 patients (12 men; mean age 66.7 +/- 10.2 years) with mediastinal lymphadenopathy on CT who required cytopathologic evaluation. Bronchoscopy was first performed with TBNA and ROSE. If this was unrevealing, EUS-FNA was performed immediately afterward with ROSE. All procedures were performed with the patient under local anesthesia and sedation.

RESULTS

TBNA specimens were deemed adequate on-site in 13 patients, and EUS-FNA was performed in the remaining 7 patients. TBNA with ROSE was falsely negative in one patient. The diagnostic yield for TBNA and EUS-FNA alone was 65% and 86%, respectively. This single-session approach provided a yield of 90%, with no complications. The final diagnoses were 12 non-small-cell lung cancer, two small-cell lung cancer, one metastatic adenocarcinoma, two sarcoidosis, one tuberculosis, one lymphoma, and one with no definitive diagnosis.

CONCLUSIONS

Combining TBNA with the option for EUS-FNA immediately after unrevealing TBNA gave a yield approaching that of mediastinoscopy and, therefore, may reduce the need for invasive mediastinal sampling. This single-session endoscopic approach was safe, required only local anesthesia and sedation, was convenient, and obviated the need for patients to return for a second procedure.

Endobronchial ultrasound guided transbronchial needle aspiration for staging of lung cancer

During the staging process of lung cancer, accurate mediastinal lymph node staging is one of the important factors which affect patient management. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the usefulness of direct real-time endobronchial ultrasound guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) for staging and diagnosis of lung cancer in patients with mediastinal lymph nodes suspected of malignancy and to assess the impact of this method in patient management. One hundred and eight patients with mediastinal lymph nodes with known or suspected lung cancer were included. The convex probe EBUS integrated with a convex scanning probe on its tip was used in all cases. Final diagnosis was based on cytology, surgical results, and/or clinical follow-up. In 105 patients, EBUS-TBNA was successfully performed to obtain samples from 163 lymph nodes. With respect to the correct prediction of lymph node stage, EBUS-TBNA had a sensitivity of 94.6%, specificity of 100%, positive predictive value of 100%, negative predictive value of 89.5%, and diagnostic accuracy rate of 96.3%. In the 20 suspected lung cancer cases, mediastinal lymph node was used for tissue diagnosis of malignancy as well as staging. As a result of EBUS-TBNA, 29 mediastinoscopies, 8 thoracotomies, 4 thoracoscopies, and 9 CT-guided PCNB were avoided. The procedure was uneventful without complications. EBUS-TBNA is a safe and sensitive method for lymph node staging in patients with lung cancer. It spares invasive staging procedures which has a major impact on patient management.

Endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration in the diagnosis and staging of lung cancer and its impact on surgical staging

PURPOSE

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.

PATIENTS AND 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.

CONCLUSION

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.