In our study, we did not evaluate other possible methods available for obtaining samples from the mediastinal lymph nodes such as TBNA, EUS-FNA, and mediastinoscopy. However, it is hard to compare these techniques because of the difference of potential to assess different portions of the mediastinum (Fig 4). Conventional TBNA can be performed during bronchoscopy, […]
The result of our study for the diagnostic accuracy of thoracic CT was consistent with results from previous reports. However, the specificity of PET was lower than previously report-ed. This may be due to the fact that the study group consisted of operable lung cancer patients who usually have only small lymph nodes on CT. […]
EBUS-TBNA showed normal lymphocytes and therefore evaluated as N0 disease prior to surgery. However histology showed metastasis in half of the resected lymph node (Fig 3, bottom, C). In 76 patients, aspirates of mediastinal lymph nodes were negative for malignancy with normal lymphocytes without tumor cells, which were shown to be benign by surgery as […]
CT detected mediastinal and/or hilar lymph nodes in all of the patients enrolled in the study. In particular, enlarged lymph nodes (short axis > 10 mm) were seen in 92 mediastinal and hilar lymph nodes in 54 patients (52.9%) [Table 2]. However, 34 patients did not have lymph node involvement and were recorded as false […]
Patients with proven or suspected lung cancer who were judged medically fit with stage I, II, or clinical minimal IIIa disease (defined as single-station N2 lymph node positive on EBUS-TBNA) were considered operable. These patients underwent lobectomy with complete thoracic lymphadenectomy. Those patients with extrathoracic spread disease, extensive N2 disease (bulky disease or multiple N2 […]
EBUS-TBNA was performed with a flexible ultrasonic puncture bronchoscope with a linear scanning transducer with a frequency of 7.5 MHz on the tip (CP-EBUS; XBF-UC260F-OL8; Olympus; Tokyo, Japan) as previously described. It scans parallel to the insertion direction of the bronchoscope and is connected to a dedicated ultrasound scanner (EU-C2000; Olympus) with Doppler-flow imaging for […]
From December 2003 to March 2005, patients with suspected or pathologically established lung cancer referred to the Department of Thoracic Surgery, Chiba University Hospital were enrolled in this study. All patients were evaluated by history; physical examination; CBC count; renal, liver, and pulmonary function tests; chest radiography; CT scan of the chest and upper abdomen; […]