The role of Endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) in lymphoma patients

Abstract

Endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) is highly accurate in diagnosing mediastinal lymphadenopathies of lung cancer and benign disorders. However, the utility of EBUS-TBNA in the diagnosis of mediastinal lymphomas is unclear. So, in this study, we evaluate to determine the diagnositic accuracy of EBUS-TBNA in patients with lymphoma and the factors affecting the diagnosis of lymphoma. Between May 2009 and May 2017, EBUS-TBNA database was analyzed retrospectively. A total of 131 lymph nodes were evaluated in 65 patients pathologically diagnosed lymphoma. The diagnosis rates to subtype of lymphoma by EBUS were 57%(37/65) in patients and 54% in lymph nodes (71/131). There was no significant difference in age, staging, and type of lymphoma between the diagnosed lymphoma patients and non-diagnosed lymphoma patients. However, lymph node diagnosed with lymphoma were statistically significantly larger in lymph node size (p