Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 10, 2026
Use of Electromagnetic Navigational Transthoracic Needle Aspiration (E-TTNA) for Sampling of Lung Nodules
Published on: May 23, 2015
[Feasibility of assessing EGFR mutation and others using samples obtained by EBUS transbronchial needle aspiration]
S Boulanger1, C Delattre, C Descarpentries
1Service d'endoscopie respiratoire, clinique de pneumologie, hôpital Calmette, pôle cardiovasculaire et pulmonaire, CHRU de Lille, 59000 Lille, France.
Introduction:
Assessment of mutation status in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is often required. The aim of this study was to confirm the feasibility of molecular mutation analysis in cytologic specimens obtained by endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA).
Methods:
Patients with an EBUS-TBNA positive for adenocarcinoma or NSCLC (squamous cell carcinoma excluded) were included retrospectively from January to December 2010, and prospectively from January to August 2011. Specimens were collected on liquid based preparation and processed on paraffin-embedded cell blocks after ThinPrepÒ procedure. Molecular analysis was performed by a SnaPshot assay for EGFR and by pyrosequencing for KRAS on suitable samples (>5% tumor cells).
Results:
Eighty-two patients were included (63 adenocarcinoma). Molecular analysis for EGFR was feasible in 80 (97.6%) patients and for KRAS in 78 (95.1%) patients. Molecular analysis identified EGFR and KRAS mutations in tumor samples from four (5%) and 18 (23%) patients respectively. All EGFR mutations were found in women.
Conclusions:
Molecular analysis mutations can be performed routinely in cytologic specimens obtained by EBUS-TBNA.
