Drill biopsy in the diagnosis of metastic and primary neoplasms of lymph nodes

The author analyses the results of 300 drill biopsies, performed on peripheral lymph nodes of 266 patients. The usefulness of this method in the histological diagnosis of metastatic and primary neoplasms of lymph nodes is assessed. Drill biopsy proves to be especially valuable in the diagnosis of metastatic cancer. By means of the first biopsy, 90.4% of cases of metastatic cancer were diagnosed. In the great majority of cases, the histological type of metastatic neoplasms was precisely defined. Accuracy in the diagnosis of malignant lymphomas was lower. Drill biopsy of peripheral lymph nodes can be performed in outpatients.