Identification of the Characteristics of the Lymph Nodes Evaluated in the EBUS Procedure and their Relationship with the Diagnosis of Malignancy in a Highly Complex Cancer Institute.

Abstract

Introduction: The EBUS has been the focus of numerous studies aiming to evaluate its utility and diagnostic performance across various pathologies. Objective: Identification of the node characteristics evaluated in the Endobronchial Ultrasound (EBUS) procedure and their relationship with malignancy diagnosis in patients at the National Cancer Institute of Colombia from January 1st, 2017, to March 31st, 2021. Methods: Observational cross-sectional analytical study. Data collection involved non-probabilistic consecutive case sampling among individuals meeting the inclusion criteria. Results: A total of 75 patients underwent the EBUS procedure. Our findings revealed six predictors of malignancy based on sonographic features of biopsy nodes, including nodes larger than 1 cm, poorly defined margins, heterogeneous echogenicity, absence of a central hilar structure, presence of signs indicating necrosis or coagulation, and the presence of a ganglion conglomerate. Conclusions: This study showed that endobronchial ultrasonography has several sonographic characteristics at the time of evaluating mediastinal nodes that could predict malignant and benign pathology.

Keywords

• lymph nodes
• lung cancer
• lymphadenopathy
• mediastinal cancer
• ultrasound