Clinical Characteristics of False-Positive Lymph Node on Chest CT or PET-CT Confirmed by Endobronchial Ultrasound-Guided Transbronchial Needle Aspiration in Lung Cancer.
- Author:
Jongmin LEE
1
;
Young Kyoon KIM
;
Ye Young SEO
;
Eun Kyoung CHOI
;
Dong Soo LEE
;
Yeon Sil KIM
;
Sook Hee HONG
;
Jin Hyoung KANG
;
Kyo Young LEE
;
Jae Kil PARK
;
Sook Whan SUNG
;
Hyun Bin KIM
;
Mi Sun PARK
;
Hyeon Woo YIM
;
Seung Joon KIM
Author Information
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords: Lymph Node; Chest; Tomography, X-Ray Computed; Positron Emission Tomography Computed Tomography; Lung Neoplasms
- MeSH: Anthracosis; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell; Electrons; Humans; Lung Diseases, Interstitial; Lung Neoplasms*; Lung*; Lymph Nodes*; Needles*; Pneumoconiosis; Pneumonia; Sensitivity and Specificity; Thorax*; Tomography, X-Ray Computed*; Tuberculosis
- From:Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases 2018;81(4):339-346
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
- Abstract: BACKGROUND: Endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) is a standard procedure to evaluate suspicious lymph node involvement of lung cancer because computed tomography (CT) and 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography-CT (PET-CT) have limitations in their sensitivity and specificity. There are a number of benign causes of false positive lymph node such as anthracosis or anthracofibrosis, pneumoconiosis, old or active tuberculosis, interstitial lung disease, and other infectious conditions including pneumonia. The purpose of this study was to evaluate possible causes of false positive lymph node detected in chest CT or PET-CT. METHODS: Two hundred forty-seven patients who were initially diagnosed with lung cancer between May 2009 and December 2012, and underwent EBUS-TBNA to confirm suspicious lymph node involvement by chest CT or PET-CT were analyzed for the study. RESULTS: Of 247 cases, EBUS-TBNA confirmed malignancy in at least one lymph node in 189. The remaining 58 patients whose EBUS-TBNA results were negative were analyzed. Age ≥65, squamous cell carcinoma as the histologic type, and pneumoconiosis were related with false-positive lymph node involvement on imaging studies such as chest CT and PET-CT. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that lung cancer staging should be done more carefully when a patient has clinically benign lymph node characteristics including older age, squamous cell carcinoma, and benign lung conditions.
