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Published on: November 10, 2014
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Endobronchial Ultrasound Guided Transbronchial Needle Aspiration and PD-L1 Yields
Lara M Khoury1, Kristin N Sheehan2, William I Mariencheck2
1Department of Internal Medicine, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA. lkhoury@wakehealth.edu.
Lung
|April 18, 2024
Summary
Endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) provides adequate tissue for PD-L1 assessment in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This minimally invasive method is effective for immunotherapy biomarker evaluation in various NSCLC subtypes.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Pulmonology
- Pathology
Background:
- Immunotherapy targeting PD-1/PD-L1 is crucial for advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), especially in PD-L1 high tumors.
- Endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) is a minimally invasive technique for obtaining tissue for molecular analysis, including PD-L1 expression, in unresectable lung cancers.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the adequacy of PD-L1 assessment in cytology specimens obtained via EBUS-TBNA for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of 387 NSCLC cases undergoing EBUS-TBNA between 2017-2021.
- Assessment of PD-L1 expression and sample adequacy for molecular testing on EBUS-TBNA specimens.
- Correlation of adequacy with NSCLC subtype, number of aspirations, sedation type, lesion size, and location.
Main Results:
- Of 263 EBUS-TBNA specimens tested for PD-L1, 90.1% were adequate.
- PD-L1 adequacy was higher in squamous cell carcinoma (93.2%) than adenocarcinoma (87.6%).
- Adenocarcinoma showed higher PD-L1 expression (68%) compared to squamous cell carcinoma (48%); lesion size and location impacted adequacy in adenocarcinomas.
Conclusions:
- EBUS-TBNA is a highly effective method for obtaining adequate specimens for PD-L1 assessment in NSCLC.
- The procedure demonstrates satisfactory adequacy across different NSCLC subtypes, lesion characteristics, and procedural variations, supporting its use for immunotherapy biomarker evaluation.
