Endoscopic Ultrasound-Guided Fine Needle Aspiration Biopsy for Diagnosis of Lymphoproliferative Disorders: Feasibility of Immunohistological, Flow Cytometric, and Cytogenetic Assessments

Abstract

In addition to morphology, immunophenotype and genetic abnormalities should be assessed during diagnosis and subclassification of lymphoproliferative disorders. The objective of this study was to evaluate the yield of endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration biopsy (EUS-FNAB) using a standard 19-gauge needle for diagnosis and subclassification of lymphoma, assessing the feasibility of immunohistological, flow cytometric, and cytogenetic assessments. Two hundred forty patients with suspected lymphoma were referred for EUS-FNAB to our quaternary EUS center between June 2005 and December 2010. EUS-FNAB using a conventional 19-gauge needle was attempted for all patients, followed by histological assessments including immunohistological staining, flow cytometry, and cytogenetic analysis (G-band karyotyping). Among the patients, 152 were ultimately diagnosed with lymphoma. The primary outcome measure of this study was the sensitivity of histological assessment, including immunohistological staining, flow cytometry, and G-band karyotyping, for diagnosis and subclassification of lymphoma. Among the 152 patients ultimately diagnosed with lymphoma, 147 patients (96.7%) were diagnosed by EUS-FNAB, and classification in accordance with the WHO (World Health Organization) system was also possible for 135 patients (88.8%) on the basis of histological findings, including immunohistological staining. Flow cytometry showed abnormal or unusual cell populations in 121 (79.6%) of the 152 patients diagnosed with lymphoma, and in 114 (90.5%) of the 126 patients diagnosed with B-cell lymphoma. Specific cytogenetic abnormalities were detected in 21 (13.8%) of the lymphoma patients. EUS-FNAB using a standard 19-gauge needle has high diagnostic value for lymphoma. Immunophenotyping is usually possible, while cytogenetic abnormalities can be identified in a relatively limited number of patients.