CASE REPORTS   

Gazzetta Medica Italiana Archivio per le Scienze Mediche 2008 December;167(6):339-46

Copyright © 2008 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: Italian

Methods for mediastinal node evaluation of TNM parameter N in NSCLC staging

Guarino C. ¹, Pecoraro A. ¹, La Cerra G. ¹, Del Giudice G. ¹, Rea G. ², Piccolo S. ³, Antinolfi F. ⁴, De Rosa N. ⁴, Marzo C.

¹ I Clinica Pneumologica Seconda Università degli Studi di Napoli Napoli, Italia 2 Dipartimento dei Servizi Diagnostici e Generali A.O.R.N. Monaldi, Napoli, Italia 3 Servizio di Medicina Nucleare Ospedale V. Monaldi, Napoli, Italia 4 Servizio di Anatomia Patologica Ospedale V. Monaldi, Napoli

In the absence of distant metastases, accurate evaluation of TNM classification parameter N is the predictive parameter which most often influences therapy and prognosis in NSCLC patients. Inaccurate evaluation could easily reclassify a patient from eligibility for resection to an exclusively pharmacologic treatment plan. Parameter N evaluation is commonly based on computer tomography (CT) and positron emission tomography (PET) findings; although both imaging techniques offer satisfactory results when combined, the specificity rates are suboptimal. Transbronchial needle aspiration (TBNA) permits cytohistologic sampling and can provide additional information to be integrated with imaging study data.