OBJECTIVES. To investigate the diagnostic performance and safety of endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration in patients presenting with radiological features of lung cancer.

DESIGN. Prospective case series.

SETTING. University teaching hospital, Hong Kong.

PATIENTS. Consecutive patients with mediastinal or hilar abnormalities suspected of or confirmed as having lung cancer underwent endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration and presented between August 2006 and December 2010.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES. Diagnostic performance (including sensitivity, specificity, negative predictive value and accuracy), procedural complications, and tissue adequacy for molecular profiling.

RESULTS. A total of 269 procedures were performed in 259 patients, with malignancy confirmed in 210 (81%) of them. In the whole cohort with confirmed or suspected lung cancer, the overall sensitivity, specificity, negative predictive value, and accuracy of endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration were 87%, 100%, 74%, and 91%, respectively. Among 42 patients with tumour samples sent for mutation tests (epidermal growth factor receptor and/or anaplastic lymphoma kinase), 40 (95%) were found to be adequate. No complication or mortality ensued from these procedures.

CONCLUSION. Endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration is highly effective in determining the diagnosis and lymph node staging in patients with lung cancer. In combination with its excellent safety profile, it should be considered a frontline diagnostic test for patients presenting with mediastinal abnormalities suspicious of lung cancer.

Key words:Biopsy, fine-needle; Bronchoscopy; Lung neoplasms; Neoplasm staging; Sensitivity and specificity

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