Diagnostic performance of endobronchial ultrasound-guided mediastinal lymph node sampling in early stage non-small cell lung cancer: A prospective study

Background and objectiveStandard nodal staging of lung cancer consists of positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT), followed by endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) if PET/CT shows mediastinal lymphadenopathy. Sensitivity of EBUS-TBNA in patients with N0/N1 disease by PET/CT is unclear and largely based on retrospective studies. We assessed the sensitivity of EBUS-TBNA in this setting. MethodsWe enrolled patients with proven or suspected lung cancer staged as N0/N1 by PET/CT and without metastatic disease (M0), who underwent staging EBUS-TBNA. Primary outcome was sensitivity of EBUS-TBNA compared with a composite reference standard of surgical stage or EBUS-TBNA stage if EBUS demonstrated N2/N3 disease. ResultsSeventy-five patients were included in the analysis. Mean tumour size was 3.52cm (1.63). Fifteen of 75 patients (20%) had N2 disease. EBUS-TBNA identified six while nine were only identified at surgery. Sensitivity of EBUS-TBNA for N2 disease was 40% (95% CI: 16.3-67.7%). ConclusionA significant proportion of patients with N0/N1 disease by PET/CT had N2 disease (20%) and EBUS-TBNA identified a substantial fraction of these patients, thus improving diagnostic accuracy compared with PET/CT alone. Sensitivity of EBUS-TBNA however appears lower compared with historical data from patients with larger volume mediastinal disease. Therefore, strategies to improve EBUS-TBNA accuracy in this population should be further explored We assessed the sensitivity of endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) in patients with lung cancer staged as N0/N1 by positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT). EBUS-TBNA improved the pretreatment staging of these patients compared with PET/CT; however, the sensitivity for N2 disease is only 40%, lower than sensitivities previously reported for N2/N3 patients.