Usefulness of EUS-guided fine needle aspiration biopsy in the diagnosis of suspected or recurring lymphoproliferative disorders

Diagnostic role of endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) in abdominal lymphadenopathy of unknown etiology

Background

Endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) is an established method for the evaluation of abdominal organ lesions. However, there are few studies on EUS-FNA for abdominal lymph node (LN) lesions. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic role of EUS-FNA in isolated abdominal lymphadenopathy (LAP).

Methods

A retrospective analysis was performed on patients with isolated abdominal LAP who underwent a EUS-FNA examination. The diagnosis was made based on cytology, histology, and immunohistochemical (IHC) studies. The area under curve (AUC) value, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and accuracy were calculated.

Results

A total of 99 patients were included in this study. The final diagnoses were metastatic tumor (n = 32), lymphoma (n = 32), tuberculosis (n = 17), sarcoidosis (n = 5), castleman's disease (n = 1), and reactive LAP (n = 12). The AUC value, sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV, and accuracy of EUS-FNA in the diagnosis of malignant LAP were 0.9531, 90.6, 100, 100, 85.4, and 93.9%, respectively. For the diagnosis of lymphoma, the accuracy of EUS-FNA combined with IHC staining was 94.9%. Retroperitoneal LN enlargement is more commonly associated with lymphoma, while hepatic hilar LN enlargement predominantly suggests benign conditions or metastatic tumors. Malignant lymph nodes are more likely to be regular border, circular/quasi-circular, and fusion. Lymphomas are more likely to present with fusion and heterogeneous echogenicity than metastatic tumors.

Conclusion

EUS-FNA is a safe and effective method to diagnose isolated abdominal LAP.

Comparison of Fine-Needle Biopsy (FNB) versus Fine-Needle Aspiration (FNA) Combined with Flow Cytometry in the Diagnosis of Deep-Seated Lymphoma

Evidence comparing ultrasound endoscopy-guided fine-needle biopsy (EUS-FNB) with EUS-guided fine-needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) in deep-seated lymphoma tissue sampling is insufficient. This study aims to evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of immunohistochemistry (IHC) or flow cytometry (FCM) on specimens obtained from EUS-FNB and EUS-FNA in the diagnosis and staging of deep-seated lymphomas. This real-world, dual-center study prospectively evaluated all eligible specimens from patients who underwent EUS-FNB/FNA over an 8-year period. 53 patients were enrolled, with 23 patients in the EUS-FNB group and 30 patients in the EUS-FNA group. FNB yielded specimens with longer core tissues (0.80 mm [0.55, 1.00] vs. 0.45 mm [0.30, 0.50], p = 0.009) and higher scores of specimen adequacy [4 (3.75, 4.00) vs. 3 (1.00, 4.00), p = 0.025]. Overall analysis revealed that the diagnostic accuracy of IHC based on specimens acquired from EUS-FNB was significantly higher than that of EUS-FNA (91.30% vs. 60.00%, p = 0.013). After controlling confounding factors including lesion size and endoscopists, EUS-FNB with IHC maintained a higher-level diagnostic accuracy compared to EUS-FNA (OR = 1.292 [1.037-1.609], p = 0.023). When FCM was additionally used to analyze the specimen acquired from EUS-FNA, the diagnostic yield was significantly improved (ROC AUC: 0.733 vs. 0.550, p = 0.015), and the AUC of FNB alone or combined with FCM was 0.739 and 0.761. Conclusions: FNB needles generate higher histopathological diagnostic accuracy and specimen quality than FNA for the deep-seated lymphoma. Though the application of FCM significantly improves the diagnostic efficacy of EUS-FNA, FNB was still the preferred diagnostic modality with a shorter procedure time, comparable diagnostic accuracy, and better cost-effectiveness.

Endosonography-Guided Biopsy as a First Test in the Diagnosis of Lymphoma

To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of Endobronchial Ultrasound-guided Transbronchial Needle Aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) and Endoscopic Ultrasound-guided Fine Needle Aspiration (EUS-FNA) in the diagnosis of lymphoma. A retrospective analysis of patients with suspected mediastinal lymphoproliferative disorders who underwent EBUS-TBNA, EUS-FNA or combined procedures from 2009 to 2019 was conducted using a prospectively maintained interventional thoracic endoscopy database. Demographic data, imaging, needle size, surgical biopsy, complications rate and pathology reports were reviewed. Over a 10-year period, a total of 444 patients were investigated with endosonography as the first diagnostic procedure for mediastinal adenopathy suspicious for lymphoma. Lymphoma was diagnosed in 77 patients (17.3%). In total, 68 patients (88.3%) were diagnosed using endosonographic mediastinal tissue sampling. Four patients had both lymphoproliferative disorders and lung cancer. Nine patients (11.7%) required a surgical biopsy to confirm the lymphoma diagnosis (6 non-diagnostic; 3 inadequate samples from endosonographic biopsies). In patients with adequate biopsies via endosonography, the sensitivity for the diagnosis of lymphoma, was 91.9% (n = 68/74). The histopathologic subtype of lymphoma was determined by endosonographic biopsies in 61 patients (89.7%) with an increased sensitivity (92.6%) for low grade Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). No acute complication related to endosonography was observed. Endosonographic biopsy (EBUS and/or EUS) of mediastinal adenopathy in patients with suspected lymphoma is a highly sensitive and safe diagnostic test. Endosonography should be the first test in the diagnosis of suspicious mediastinal lymphoma and should be followed by surgical biopsy in cases of insufficient sampling or indefinite diagnosis.

A quarter century of EUS-FNA: Progress, milestones, and future directions

Tissue acquisition using EUS has considerably evolved since the first EUS-FNA was reported 25 years ago. Its introduction was an important breakthrough in the endoscopic field. EUS-FNA has now become a part of the diagnostic and staging algorithm for the evaluation of benign and malignant diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and of the organs in its proximity, including lung diseases. This review aims to present the history of EUS-FNA development and to provide a perspective on the recent developments in procedural techniques and needle technologies that have significantly extended the role of EUS and its clinical applications. There is a bright future ahead for EUS-FNA in the years to come as extensive research is conducted in this field and various technologies are continuously implemented into clinical practice.

FNA diagnosis of deep-seated lymphoma: an institutional experience

INTRODUCTION

Controversy remains as to whether image-guided fine-needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy coupled with appropriate ancillary techniques has clinical utility in the diagnosis of deep-seated lymphomas.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A retrospective search (20 years) was performed to identify FNA cases with a definitive or indeterminate lymphoma diagnosis for deep-seated locations. The FNA diagnosis was compared with corresponding surgical pathology (SP) and clinical follow-up. The application of ancillary tests was also evaluated.

RESULTS

A total of 121 cases from 118 patients were recovered. Among 95 of 121 (79%) aspirates that had a definitive lymphoma diagnosis, 50 lacked SP follow-up. Most (82%) represented possible recurrent lymphoma, and thus therapy proceeded based on the FNA results alone. Additionally, 44 of 95 (46%) had an FNA diagnosis concordant with corresponding SP and 1 case was discordant. Of 44 with concordant SP diagnosis, 25 had further lymphoma subtyping that was concordant with SP. There were 26 of 121 (21%) with indeterminate diagnosis on FNAs. Of these, SP confirmed a diagnosis of lymphoma in 81%. Indeterminate cytologic diagnoses were due either to absent/inconclusive flow cytometry (FC) (11 of 21) or Hodgkin lymphoma (10 of 21). Of 121 cases, 93 utilized FC, 53 utilized cell-block immunohistochemical stains, and 29 utilized molecular testing as part of FNA work-up.

CONCLUSIONS

FNA plays an important role in the diagnosis/clinical management of deep-seated non-Hodgkin B cell lymphoma (NHL), particularly for recurrence. The addition of ancillary techniques, particularly FC, markedly increases NHL diagnostic accuracy and subclassification. Our study is one of the few large series examining the clinical utility of FNA in the setting of deep-seated lymphomas.

Endoscopic/Endobronchial Ultrasound-Guided Fine Needle Aspiration and Ancillary Techniques, Particularly Flow Cytometry, in Diagnosing Deep-Seated Lymphomas

Evaluation of deep-seated lymphomas by fine-needle aspiration (FNA) can be challenging due to their reduced accessibility. Controversy remains as to whether FNA and ancillary techniques can be used to diagnose deep-seated lymphomas reliably and sufficiently for clinical management. Most published studies are favorable that endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS)/endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)-FNA plays an important role in the diagnosis of deep-seated lymphomas. The addition of ancillary techniques, particularly flow cytometry, increases diagnostic yield. While subclassification is possible in a reasonable proportion of cases, the reported rates of successful subclassification are lower than those for lymphoma detection/diagnosis. The diagnostic limitation exists for Hodgkin's lymphoma, grading of follicular lymphoma, and some T-cell lymphomas. The role of FNA in deep-seated lymphomas is much better established for recurrent than primary disease. It remains unclear whether the use of large-sized-needle FNA or a combination of core needle biopsy and FNA improves subclassification. It is important for cytopathologists to have considerable understanding of the WHO lymphoma classification and develop a collaborative working relationship with hematopathologists and oncologists. As EUS/EBUS-FNA techniques advance and sophisticated molecular techniques such as next- generation sequencing become possible, the role of FNA in the diagnosis of deep-seated lymphomas will possibly increase.