Work

Clinical evaluation on transbronchial needle aspiration(TBNA) of subcarinal lymph node in lung cancer.

Year: 1970

Type: article

Abstract: Background: Accurate staging of bronchogenic carcinoma is important in determining resectability and metastasis of tumor to the subcarinal nodes is generally belieγed to indicate poor prognosis.The technique of Transbronchial needle aspiration (TBNA) has offered a safe & effective way to asscess mediastinal lymph node involvement in the staging of lung cancer.We performed TBNA in patients who were suspected lung cancer to evaluate the clinical usefulness of the TB NA.Method: TBNA of the subcarinal lymph node was performed at the time of initial diagnostic bronchoscopy in 60 patients with suspected lung cancer, and 42 cases of histologically proved bronchogenic cancer were analizedResults: The frequency of adequate samples by transbronchial needle aspiration (TBN A) was 81 % and the positive rate of malignant cells by TBNA was 14.7%.There were no differences in positive rates by tumor cell types.In patients with thickened carina on bronchoscopy, the TB N A was positive in 33.3% as compared to 5.3% of normal carina on bronchoscopy, and the difference was statistically significant (p<0.05).In patients with enlarged subcarinal lymph node on chest CT, the positive rate of malignant cells (50.0%) was higher than that of normal sized subcarinal lymph node on chest CT (4.8%) (p < 0.01).There were no specific complications in the TBN A procedure.Conclusion: TBN A is a relatively safe procedure and it offers the possibility of avoiding the cost and morbidity of surgical sta,ging in patients especially whose carina is thickened on bronchoscopy and whose subcarinal LN was enlarged on chest CT.

Source: Tuberculosis & respiratory diseases

DOI: 10.4046/trd.1993.40.2.177