Fine-needle Aspiration Washout Research Articles

Overcoming the limitations of fine needle aspiration biopsy: detection of lateral neck node metastasis in papillary thyroid carcinoma.

PurposeUltrasound (US) and US-guided fine needle aspiration biopsies (FNAB) are considered the modalities of choice for assessing lymph nodes suspected of containing metastases, but the sensitivity of FNAB varies and is specific to the operator. We analyzed the risk of FNAB providing false negative results of lateral neck node metastasis, and evaluated diagnostic accuracy of FNAB, in patients with papillary thyroid cancer.Materials and MethodsFNAB was performed in 242 patients suspected of having lateral neck node metastasis on preoperative imaging. Thyroglobulin in the fine-needle aspirate washout (FNA wash-out Tg) and computed tomography enhancement (Hounsfield units) were measured. Patients with negative results on FNAB were examined by intraoperative frozen section. The false negative and true negative groups were compared.ResultsOf the 242 patients, 130 were confirmed as having lateral neck node metastases. In 74 patients, the metastasis was identified by FNAB. False positive results were observed in 2 patients (0.8%) and false negatives in 58 (44.6%). Risk analysis showed that patient age <45 years (p=0.006), tumor size >1 cm (p=0.008) and elevated FNA wash-out Tg (p=0.004) were significantly associated with false negative results on FNAB. The accuracy of FNAB increased significantly when combined with FNA wash-out Tg (p=0.003).ConclusionTo reduce the false negative rate of FNAB, patient age (<45 years), tumor size (>1 cm) and FNA wash-out Tg (>34.8 ng/mL) should be considered in preoperative planning. Accuracy may be improved by combining the results of FNAB and FNA wash-out Tg.

Thyroglobulin in Lymph Node Fine-Needle Aspiration Washout: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Diagnostic Accuracy

The thyroglobulin measurement in the needle washout after fine-needle aspiration (FNA) has been reported to increase the sensitivity of FNA in identifying lymph node (LN) metastases from differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC). The aim of the study was to estimate the diagnostic accuracy of this technique. To identify eligible studies, we searched electronic databases for original articles in English from 1975 through 2013. Studies that enrolled participants with suspicious neck LNs during thyroid nodule workup or thyroid cancer follow-up were included. Working independently, authors used a standard form to extract data. For quality assessment, QUADAS2 guidelines were applied. Including all the selected studies (24 studies, 2865 LNs) in the pooled analysis, overall sensitivity was 95.0% (95% confidence interval [CI], 93.7-96.0%), specificity was 94.5% (95% CI, 93.2-95.7%), and diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) was 338.91 (95% CI, 164.82-696.88) with significant heterogeneity (inconsistency [I(2)] = 65.7%; heterogeneity, P < .001). Stratifying different populations and including only patients with thyroid gland (410 LNs), pooled sensitivity was 86.2% (95% CI, 80.9-90.5%), specificity was 90.2% (85.1-94.0%), and DOR was 56.621 (22.535-142.26; I(2) = 37.3%; heterogeneity, P = .121). Including only patients after thyroidectomy (1007 LNs), pooled sensitivity was 96.9% (95% CI, 94.9-98.2%), specificity was 94.1% (91.7-96.0%), and DOR was 407.65 (198.67-836.46; I(2) = 0.0%; heterogeneity, P = .673). Thyroglobulin measurement in washout from LN FNA has high accuracy in early detection of nodal metastases from DTC. The technique is simple, but a better standardization of criteria for patient selection, analytical methods, and cutoff levels is required.

Medullary thyroid cancer diagnosis: An appraisal

Since its first description in 1951, a timely diagnosis of medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) may represent a diagnostic challenge in clinical practice. Several contributions have been addressed to the treatment and follow-up of MTC, but review articles focused on the diagnostic problems of this cancer in clinical practice are sparse. As a delayed diagnosis and an inadequate initial treatment may severely affect the prognosis of this thyroid malignancy, the appropriate use and the correct interpretation of the available diagnostic tools for MTC are of crucial importance. The purpose of the present article is to provide an easy-to-use guide reviewing the main issues of MTC diagnosis: (1) basal serum calcitonin; (2) stimulated serum calcitonin; (3) additional serum markers for MTC; (4) ultrasound and other imaging techniques; (5) fine-needle aspiration (FNA) cytology; (6) calcitonin measurement on FNA washout; (7) rearranged during transfection (RET) mutations; and (8) scope of the problem.

Optimal indication of thyroglobulin measurement in fine-needle aspiration for detecting lateral metastatic lymph nodes in patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma

The purpose of this study was to evaluate optimal indication of thyroglobulin (Tg) measurement in fine-needle aspiration (FNA) for detecting lateral metastatic lymph nodes in patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). We performed a retrospective study of 241 lymph nodes of 220 patients who underwent ultrasound-guided FNA with Tg in FNA (FNA-Tg) washout fluid measurements for suspicious lymph nodes. On multivariate analysis, hyperechogenicity, cystic change, presence of calcifications, and peripheral vascularity were independent factors predictive of lymph node metastasis. After adding FNA-Tg, sensitivity and accuracy were significantly increased when the lymph node had 1 or 2 suspicious ultrasound features. However, sensitivity and accuracy were not significantly increased when the lymph node had multiple suspicious ultrasound features. Additional FNA-Tg can help diagnose a metastatic lymph node with 1 or 2 suspicious ultrasound features. However, additional FNA-Tg is not beneficial in lymph nodes with highly suspicious ultrasound features, in which FNA alone is sufficient for diagnosis of predictive of lymph node.

Thyroid diseases cause mismatch between MIBI scan and neck ultrasound in the diagnosis of hyperfunctioning parathyroids: usefulness of FNA–PTH assay

To evaluate the efficacy of the main tools in the diagnostic localization of hyperfunctioning parathyroids (HP) in primary hyperparathyroidism (pHPT) with concomitant thyroid diseases. Forty-three patients with pHPT associated with nodular goiter (NG, n=32) and/or autoimmune thyroid diseases (AITDs, n=11) for a total of 63 neck lesions were considered. Sixteen patients displaying HP (16 lesions), unequivocally localized by sestaMIBI scintigraphy (MIBI) and neck ultrasound (US) (group I), were compared with 27 patients (47 neck lesions) displaying equivocal parathyroid localization (group II). In all cases, neck US, MIBI scan, cytology, and parathyroid hormone assay in fine-needle aspiration washout fluid (FNA-PTH) were performed. All patients finally underwent surgery. According to histological examination, high FNA-PTH values (>103 pg/ml) correctly identified all HP in both groups of patients (100% of sensitivity and specificity). Both MIBI and US correctly identified all HP only in group I patients; in contrast, four patterns of mismatch between these techniques were observed in group II patients, leading to low diagnostic performances of neck US (71.4% sensitivity and 78.9% specificity) and of MIBI scan (35.7% sensitivity and 42.1% specificity). The latter was due to both false-negative (mainly in AITD) and false-positive (mainly in NG) scan images. Coexistent thyroid diseases are responsible for mismatch between MIBI and US images resulting in equivocal HP localization. In these cases, FNA-PTH resulted in the most accurate tool to identify HP. However, although safe, it should be advised only to patients with uncertain HP localization.

Diagnostic Performance of Thyroglobulin Value in Indeterminate Range in Fine Needle Aspiration Washout Fluid from Lymph Nodes of Thyroid Cancer

PurposeThe purpose was to compare the frequency of metastatic and nonmetastatic lymph nodes diagnosed by fine needle aspiration biopsy cytology (FNAC) and thyroglobulin concentration from fine needle aspiration biopsy washout fluid (FNAB-Tg) in an indeterminate range (0.2-100 ng/mL), and to evaluate the most appropriate threshold value of FNAB-Tg in an indeterminate range.Materials and MethodsWe performed ultrasound-guided FNAB and FNAB-Tg in suspicious metastatic cervical lymph nodes of papillary thyroid carcinoma and performed surgery. Ninety-five lymph nodes with indeterminate values of FNAB-Tg ranging from 0.2-100 ng/mL in ninety-two patients were included in this study. The diagnostic performances in multiple Tg levels (0.7, 1.0, 5.0, 10.0, 20.0, 50.0) were evaluated to compare with FNAB cytology using sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy with area under the curve (AUC) analysis.ResultsForty-two were metastatic lymph nodes and fifty three were nonmetastatic lymph nodes. FNAB-Tg ranged from 0.22 to 90.9 ng/mL in metastatic lymph nodes (mean; 34.3±33.3 ng/mL) and 0.20 to 56.7 ng/mL in nonmetastatic lymph nodes (mean; 4.9±11.1 ng/mL) (p<0.001). The most excellent diagnostic performance was displayed in 5 ng/mL of FNAB-Tg with AUC of 0.76, sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, 69.0, 83.0, and 76.8, respectively. However, there was no significant difference from 10 ng/mL FNAB.ConclusionWe ascertained that 5 ng/mL yielded the most excellent diagnostic performance among FNAB-Tg levels in the present setting with a large series with the indeterminate range (0.2-100 ng/mL) of FNAB-Tg values. These results need additional confirmation under different laboratory conditions.

Tumor Markers in Fine-Needle Aspiration Washout for Cervical Lymphadenopathy in Patients With Known Malignancy: Preliminary Study

The purposes of our study were to assess whether tumor marker concentration in fine-needle aspiration (FNA) washout from cervical lymph nodes (LNs) differs between metastatic and nonmetastatic LNs and whether tumor marker concentrations in FNA washout can contribute to the diagnosis of metastatic LNs. Ultrasound-guided FNA was performed for 157 neck nodes in 157 patients, including 136 patients with known malignancy (28 breast, 34 lung, 41 head and neck, seven esophagus, nine cervix, 10 gastrointestinal [GI] tract, and seven ovary cancers) and 21 patients without known malignancy (control group). Immediately after an FNA cytology specimen was obtained, the needle was rinsed with 1 mL of normal saline solution, and variable tumor marker concentrations were measured in the washout: carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and cancer antigen (CA) 15-3 for breast; CEA and cytokeratin 19 fragment for lung; squamous cell antigen for head and neck, esophagus, and cervix; CEA and CA 19-9 for GI; CA 125 for ovarian cancer; and all the tumor marker concentrations for the control group. The tumor marker concentration was compared between the metastatic and nonmetastatic LNs in the control group and between the metastatic and nonmetastatic LNs in the known malignancy group, according to the known malignancy. At final diagnosis, 104 LNs were metastatic and 53 were nonmetastatic (including 21 LNs in the control group). The tumor marker concentrations of cases with negative or nondiagnostic cytologic results were evaluated. The sensitivity of FNA cytology alone was compared with the combined sensitivity of FNA cytology and tumor marker concentration. Metastatic LNs had higher corresponding FNA tumor marker concentrations than did nonmetastatic LNs in both the control and known malignancy groups (p < 0.05), except for CA 19-9 in GI cancer. Eight of 10 cases (80%) with negative or nondiagnostic cytologic results but metastatic LNs at final diagnosis showed elevated tumor marker concentrations. The sensitivity of FNA cytology (90.4%) increased to 98.1% when combined with tumor marker concentration (p < 0.05). Tumor marker concentrations in FNA washout with cervical metastatic LNs were elevated in comparison with those of nonmetastatic LNs. Evaluation of tumor marker concentrations in FNA washout could improve the detection of metastatic LNs in patients with known malignancy.

Thyroglobulin measurement in fine‐needle aspirate washouts: the criteria for neck node dissection for patients with thyroid cancer

Several studies report that detection of thyroglobulin (Tg) in fine-needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy washout fluid from lymph nodes identifies recurrences/metastases of differentiated papillary thyroid cancer (DPTC) in the neck with higher sensitivity and specificity than fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC). However, the diagnostic FNA-Tg cutoff values have not yet been established. To determine an appropriate diagnostic threshold value for Tg levels in FNA washout fluid in patients with neck node metastases or recurrences of DPTC. We performed ultrasound (US)-guided FNAC and measured Tg levels in FNA washout fluid (FNA-Tg). Final diagnoses were confirmed by histological examination of excised specimens or by follow-up examinations for at least 24 months. A total of 168 ultrasonographically detected lymph nodes from 168 patients with DPTC were included. In comparison with FNAC, we evaluated diagnostic sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of metastasis detection according to several predetermined threshold levels: 1, 10, 100 ng/ml, mean+2SD of node-negative patients, and FNA-Tg/serum-Tg > 1. The diagnostic sensitivity was lowest at 77.3% for FNAC alone. The lower FNA-Tg threshold levels showed higher diagnostic sensitivity whereas the higher FNA-Tg showed higher specificity. In addition to the FNAC results, FNA-Tg levels showed 95.0% sensitivity, 81.6% specificity, 92.6% in positive predictive value (PPV) and 87.0% in negative predictive value (NPV) with the threshold of FNA-Tg level at 10 ng/ml, serum-Tg or mean+2SD of FNA-Tg measured in node-negative patients. The diagnostic accuracy of FNA-Tg was higher in neck node recurrences after thyroid surgery than in the metastasis of patients waiting for surgery. FNA-Tg measurement as well as FNAC should be performed either before or after surgery to evaluate neck node metastases or recurrences in patients with differentiated thyroid carcinomas. We recommend that the threshold values for FNA-Tg levels should be > 10 ng/ml if the serum-Tg level or the mean+2SD in node-negative patients is not available for reference.

Thyroglobulin Measurement in the Fine-Needle Aspiration Washout for Diagnosing Cervical Lymph Node Metastasis in the Patients with Differentiated Papillary Thyroid Cancer

Purpose: We wanted to evaluate the utility of thyroglobulin measurement in the washout of the needle (FNATg) used for fine needle biopsy for detecting lymph node metastasis in patients with differentiated papillary thyroid carcinoma (DPTC). Materials and Methods: We performed ultrasonography-guided fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) and FNA-Tg for 50 ultrasonographically suspicious lymph nodes in 45 DPTC patients. Eighteen patients underwent thyroidectomy before FNA and the remaining 27 patients underwent fine-needle aspiration prior to surgery. The final diagnoses were determined based on the results of histological examination of the excised specimens (n=21) or on the follow-up examination that was done least 12 months after surgery. Results: Lymph node metastases were confirmed in 19 patients. FNAC detected 14 metastatic lymph nodes in 14 patients, and FNA-Tg detected 18 metastatic lymph nodes in 18 patients. While none of 3 cystic lymph nodes metastasis was detected via FNAC, they all revealed positive results via FNA-Tg. One patient with a negative result on both methods had one metastatic lymph node among 9 excised lymph nodes, and this one node had not been sampled via FNAC or FNA-Tg. The sensitivities and specificities of FNAC and FNA-Tg were 73.6% (14/19) and 100% (27/27), and 94.7% (18/19) and 96.2% (26/27), respectively. Conclusion: FNA-Tg is a useful technique for the early detection of lymph node metastasis, and especially for detecting cystic lymph node metastasis in patients with DPTC.