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Monday, 04/11/2011
Significance of the Presence of Lymphocytes in the Cytological Analysis of Transbronchial Needle Aspiration
The presence of lymphocytes in the transbronchial needle aspiration (TBNA) sample does not exclude the neoplasic invasión of the specific lymph node analyzed. This is the conclusion reached in the trial that has been carried out by Dr. Carmen Mª Lucena, Dr. Carlos Agustí, Dr. Pilar Martínez-Olondris (members of the Applied Research in Respiratory Diseases group) and Dr. Esteban Cano-Jiménez, Dr. Ramón Mª Marrades, Dr. Josep Ramírez, Dr. Marcelo Sánchez, Dr. Pedro Arguis and Dr. Antoni Xaubet, from Hospital Clínic.
The aim of this retrospective observational study was to evaluate the clinical relevance of the presence of lymphocytes in transbronchial needle aspiration (TBNA) samples from pathological mediastinal lymph nodes in patients with suspected lung cancer.
A total of 266 TBNA were performed in 252 patients with pathological lymph nodes. One hundred and fifteen TBNA samples had evidence of malignant cells (43%), and 94 (35%) samples were considered as inadequate (absence of adequate cytological material or exclusive presence of bronchial epithelial cells). Out of the 57 TBNA samples remaining (21%), 15 could not be confirmed; in 32, TBNA samples were confirmed with alternative diagnostic techniques and in 10, they were confirmed alter clinical and radiological follow-up. The NPV of the 32 samples that were confirmed with alternative diagnostic techniques was 84% decreasing down to 76% when the 10 TBNA samples confirmed after clinical and radiological follow-up were included. This trial was published online on Fabruary the 1st 2011 in the scientific journal Archivos de Bronconeumología.