Percutaneous core-needle biopsy of enlarged lymph nodes in the diagnosis and subclassification of malignant lymphomas
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Published on: July 25, 2015
J Demharter1, P Müller, T Wagner
1Department of Radiology, Zentralklinikum Augsburg, Germany.
Insights
Percutaneous core-needle biopsy accurately diagnoses malignant lymphomas with high sensitivity and specificity. This image-guided method is effective for both initial diagnosis and subclassification of these cancers.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Radiology
- Pathology
Background:
- Malignant lymphomas require accurate diagnosis and subclassification for effective treatment.
- Percutaneous biopsy is a minimally invasive technique for tissue sampling.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the diagnostic accuracy (sensitivity and specificity) of image-guided percutaneous core-needle biopsy for malignant lymphomas.
- To evaluate the utility of this method in subclassifying lymphomas.
Main Methods:
- 158 image-guided percutaneous core-needle biopsies of enlarged lymph nodes were performed using a Tru-cut needle.
- Biopsy findings were confirmed by histology or clinical/radiologic correlation in 135 cases.
Main Results:
- The biopsy demonstrated 89% sensitivity and 97% specificity for diagnosing malignant lymphomas.
- Of correctly diagnosed lymphomas, 95% could be subclassified using core-needle biopsy.
- The method correctly identified malignant lymphomas, nodal metastases, and benign conditions.
Conclusions:
- Image-guided percutaneous core-needle biopsy is a valuable tool for diagnosing and subclassifying malignant lymphomas.
- The Tru-cut needle biopsy offers high diagnostic accuracy for nodal lesions.
Abstract:
The objective of this study was to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of percutaneous core-needle biopsy of enlarged lymph nodes in the diagnosis and subclassification of malignant lymphomas. In a 1-year period 158 image-guided percutaneous core-needle biopsies of enlarged lymph nodes were performed on 149 consecutive patients using a Tru-cut needle fired by a biopsy gun. In 135 cases the biopsy findings could be confirmed by histologic examination of additional tissue samples (n = 59) or by correlation with the patient's clinical and radiologic course (n = 76). The final diagnoses were malignant lymphoma in 65 cases, leukemic nodal infiltration in 2, nodal metastases from a solid tumor in 37 and benign changes or no evidence of malignancy in 31 cases. The core-needle biopsies correctly diagnosed 58 of 65 malignant lymphomas, corresponding to a sensitivity of 89% and a specificity of 97%. Fifty-five of the 58 (95%) correctly diagnosed malignant lymphomas could be subclassified on the basis of the core-needle biopsy. Image-guided core-needle biopsy of enlarged lymph nodes with a Tru-cut needle is a useful method for the diagnosis and subclassification of malignant lymphomas.
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