Frequency of mediastinal lymph node metastases in patients undergoing EUS evaluation of pancreaticobiliary masses

BACKGROUND: Mediastinal lymph node metastases have rarely been reported in patients with pancreatic cancer. Our aim was to determine the frequency of mediastinal lymph node metastases in patients with pancreaticobiliary masses by using EUS-guided fine needle aspiration. METHODS: Sixty-six consecutive patients with pancreatobiliary masses were evaluated on EUS for the presence of mediastinal lymph node metastases. All masses were staged by commonly used EUS criteria by using sector scanning echoendoscopes. Mediastinal lymph nodes with EUS features that suggested malignancy were aspirated. RESULTS: Of the 66 patients (mean age 65.6 years; 38 men), 4 had biliary masses, 5 had lesions of the major duodenal papilla, and 57 had pancreatic masses. Eleven patients (10 pancreatic masses, 1 biliary mass) had enlarged mediastinal lymph node (12-30 mm) on EUS; in 2 patients these had a benign appearance and were not aspirated. Nine patients underwent EUS-guided fine needle aspiration: in 1 the cytology was inconclusive (patient subsequently had a negative Whipple resection); in 4 the mediastinal lymph node cytology was benign; the remaining 4 patients had adenocarcinoma cells in the aspirate from mediastinal lymph node. These 4 pancreatic tumors were staged by EUS as T2N1M1 (1), as T4N0M1 (2, one later found to also have a lung mass), and T4N1M1 (1). CONCLUSION: Enlarged mediastinal lymph nodes were found on EUS in 16.6% (95% CI [7.7%, 25.6%]) of patients with pancreatobiliary masses and in 17.5% (95% CI [7.6%, 27.4%]) of patients with pancreatic masses. The frequency of mediastinal lymph node metastases in pancreatobiliary masses was 6.1% (95% CI [0.34%, 11.9%]) and in pancreatic masses 7.0% (95% CI [0.4%, 13.6%]). Routine EUS evaluation of the mediastinum in patients with pancreatic masses is warranted.     

Patterns of mediastinal metastases in bronchogenic carcinoma

The location and frequency of metastases to the lymph nodes were documented in a review of 200 patients with bronchogenic carcinoma who underwent pulmonary resection and total lymph node resection. No nodal metastases were found in 120 patients (60 percent). Metastases were present in only lobar or hilar nodes (or both) in 32 patients (16 percent), and 34 (17 percent) had metastases in mediastinal nodes as well as in lobar or hilar nodes. Only mediastinal nodal metastases were found in 14 patients (7 percent). Previously described lymphatic pathways can explain the presence of metastases in mediastinal nodes alone. Unexplained findings were the higher prevalence of mediastinal nodal metastases in adenocarcinoma vs squamous cell carcinoma and a much higher frequency of mediastinal metastases without lobar or hilar involvement (or both) in patients with adenocarcinoma compared to those with squamous cell carcinoma.     

A case of prostatic adenocarcinoma clinically presenting as supraclavicular and mediastinal lymphadenopathy]

We report a 70-year-old man with prostatic carcinoma presenting as supraclaviculer and mediastinal lymphadenopathy. He had no urinary tract symptoms, and computed tomography and FDG-PET showed no abnormality in the prostate or pelvic lymph nodes. Metastatic prostatic adenocarcinoma was finally diagnosed from the results of immunohistochemical staining for PSA of a biopsy specimen of the mediastinal lymph node, and he was treated by hormonal therapy. There are fears that some other similar cases might be treated with chemotherapy as lung cancer without immunohistochemical staining. Prostatic carcinoma should always be considered in the differential diagnosis of elderly men with supraclaviculer or mediastinal lymph node metastases, since appropriate treatment will lead to a prolonged survival.     

Analysis of lobar lymph node metastases around the bronchi of primary and nonprimary lobes in lung cancer: risk of remnant tumor at the root of the nonprimary lobes.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: The details of lobar lymph node metastases at the root of nonprimary lobes (NPLs) in patients with lung cancer are still unclear. DESIGN: A prospective study from February 1989 to November 2000. Lobar lymph nodes in primary lobes (PLs) and NPLs were evaluated regardless of the location of the primary tumor. PATIENTS: Two hundred forty-eight patients who underwent surgery and had no involvement of the adjacent lobe by primary tumor were enrolled in this study. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: Lobar lymph node metastases were observed in 53 patients (21.4%), with frequencies not different among the primary sites. Thirty-seven patients had lobar lymph node metastases limited to the PL, and 16 patients had metastases in the NPLs. The frequencies of lobar lymph node metastases in NPLs were not affected by histologic type or T classification, but they were dependent on laterality and proximal lymph node metastases. On the right side, lobar lymph node metastases in NPLs were observed in 9.0% of all 155 patients, in 45.2% of 31 patients with lobar lymph node metastases, and in 34.3% of 35 patients with mediastinal lymph node metastases. They were significantly higher in the patients with interlobar/hilar lymph node metastases (12 of 28 patients) or with mediastinal metastases (12 of 35 patients) than in those without metastases on the right (p < 0.0001, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Lobar lymph node metastases in NPLs were frequent on the right side and became more frequent according to the prevalence of the proximal lymph node metastases, rather than the clinicopathologic properties of the primary tumor itself.     

Mediastinal spread of metastatic lymph nodes in bronchogenic carcinoma. Mediastinal nodal metastases in lung cancer

The location, frequency, and spread of metastases to the mediastinal lymph nodes were examined in 124 patients with histologically proven N2 disease who underwent pulmonary resection and total lymph node resection. There were one-level metastases in 47 percent of cases, two-level metastases in 29 percent, three-level in 12 percent, and 12 percent had four or more levels of metastases. Nodal metastases to the lower mediastinum from upper lobe cancer were frequently observed as were metastases of lower lobe cancer to the upper mediastinum. The frequency of the latter was higher than that of the former. About one third of squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma in the right upper lobe produced nodal metastases in the lower mediastinum. In addition, there were often skip metastases to the nonregional parts of the mediastinum without regional nodal involvement in the mediastinum. From the results of the present study, it appears that extensive mediastinal dissection should be recommended in surgery for lung cancer irrespective of the location of the primary tumor.     

The influence of cell type and lymph node metastases on survival of patients with carcinoma of the lung undergoing thoracotomy.

We studied 202 cases of bronchogenic carcinoma treated surgically between January 1, 1966 and December 31, 1970. Over all, adenocarcinoma was the most common cell type (36.1 per cent). Of 151 patients whose carcinomas were successfully resected, and who lived for at least 30 days postoperatively, 88 had lymph nodes free of cancer. Not surprisingly, 5-year survival was related to lymph node metatases and cell type. The best over-all 5-year survival rate was for large cell carcinoma; it was 52.0 per cent without nodal involvement. Similar figures for epidermoid carcinoma were 29.0 per cent over all, and 26.3 per cent without lymph node involvement; for adenocarcinoma, 19.3 per cent over all, and 32.0 per cent without nodal involvement. For the entire group of 151 patients, the 5-year survival rate was 27.8 per cent over all, and 36.4 per cent without nodal metastases. Among resected patients with mediastinal lymph nodes positive for cancer, the 5-year survival rates were 1 of 10 patients with large cell carcinoma, 1 of 19 patients with adenocarcinoma, and 3 of 12 patients with epidermoid carcinoma. This suggests that in patients with epidermoid carcinoma, the presence of mediastinal lymph node metastases is not, in itself, an absolute contraindication to resectional therapy.     

Endobronchial ultrasonography for mediastinal and hilar lymph node metastases of lung cancer

STUDY OBJECTIVES: Conventional radiologic procedures are frequently unreliable in the diagnosis of mediastinal and hilar lymph node metastases of lung cancer. In order to improve diagnostic accuracy, we performed endobronchial ultrasonography (EBUS) during bronchofiberscopic examinations of patients with lung cancer. METHODS AND PATIENTS: To evaluate mediastinal and hilar lymph node metastases, EBUS was performed prospectively using a radial scanning probe of 20 MHz through a bronchofiberscope. RESULTS: We observed hilar lymph nodes (10R, 11R superior, 11R inferior, 12R, 10L, 11L, 12L) in 20 of 37 patients who underwent EBUS, and we could clearly identify whether direct invasion of the pulmonary artery by a lymph node had occurred. Of the 27 patients who showed no hilar lymph nodes on chest CT scan, lymph node swellings < 10 mm or > or = 10 mm in diameter were identified by EBUS in 9 patients and 2 patients, respectively. Interestingly, EBUS also revealed that the pulmonary artery was directly invaded by an interlobar lymph node < 10 mm in diameter in one patient. In most patients, lymph node 7 was easily identified and was clearly differentiated from the surrounding esophagus, vessels, and mediastinal fat tissue by EBUS. However, fused lymph nodes or lymph nodes with low central density when visualized by chest CT scan were occasionally observed as independent lymph nodes by EBUS. When compared with the pathologic diagnosis of lymph node metastasis in 16 patients who underwent surgery, the most specific and sensitive method for identifying lymph node metastases were EBUS alone (92%) and EBUS in combination with CT scan (100%), respectively. The overall accuracy of EBUS was 94% for the diagnosis of direct invasion of the pulmonary arteries by a hilar lymph node. CONCLUSIONS: EBUS in combination with conventional radiologic tools may contribute to improved staging, especially in surgical cases with hilar lymph node metastases.     

The value of mediastinoscopy in preoperative evaluation of mediastinal involvement in non-small-cell lung cancer patients with clinical NO disease

BACKGROUND: The efficacy of mediastinal lymph node examination using cervical mediastinoscopy in operable non-small cell lung cancer patients without radiological nodal involvement on computerized tomography (CT) has been elusive. METHODS: The value of mediastinoscopy as a staging modality for assessing the mediastinal lymph node status was evaluated in 79 patients with presumed resectable non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with mediastinal nodes smaller than 1 cm (NO) form the CT scan. Sixty-one patients who did not have nodal involvement at mediastinoscopy and had complete medical records underwent complete resection. RESULTS: Negative predictive value (NPV) of the CT scan according to mediastinoscopy was 92.4 %. Histopathological examination of the surgical specimen showed the NPV of mediastinoscopy to be 93.4 %. Only 4 patients (3 patients with N2, 1 patient with N3 disease) were not correctly staged using CT scanning and mediastinoscopy. According to the pathological examination, the NPV of CT was found to be lower (76.5 %) in patients with adenocarcinoma, but the difference was not statistically significant (p > 0.128) CONCLUSION: Although the likelihood of surgical-pathological N2 is slightly higher in patients with adenocarcinoma, radiological examination of patients with cNO NSCLC disease can be as accurate as mediastinoscopy in appropriately staging mediastinal lymph node involvement.     

Radiologic staging of lung cancer.

Preoperative tumor staging in patients with known or suspected non-small cell lung cancer is generally performed using contrast enhanced chest computed tomography (CT) (including the adrenal glands). Abdominal CT is generally unnecessary, given the low frequency of isolated liver metastases. The role of MRI is limited, and it is used mainly as a problem solving tool in certain specific situations. A CT showing no mediastinal lymph node enlargement usually oviates preoperative mediastinal lymph node sampling, with certain exceptions. If enlarged mediastinal lymph nodes are demonstrated at CT, then CT may be used to direct preoperative lymph node sampling via transbronchoscopic Wang needle biopsy, mediastinoscopy, mediastinotomy, or video assisted thoracoscopy.     

Sputum cytology-positive, bronchoscopically negative adenocarcinoma of the lung.

Among a total of 114 cases of resected lung adenocarcinoma that were examined by sputum cytologic study before bronchoscopy, 17 were sputum cytology-positive, but had no abnormal bronchoscopic findings. In most of these cases, the reason for detection was sputum and bloody sputum (58.8 percent). Pathologically, many cases were classified as stage III A or more (82.4 percent) due to mediastinal lymph node metastases. More than 70 percent of the cases showed vascular invasion. The proportion of well-differentiated cases was also high (52.9 percent). The prognosis of these cases was worse than sputum cytology-negative adenocarcinoma without abnormal bronchoscopic findings and better than sputum cytology-positive adenocarcinoma with abnormal bronchoscopic findings. There was no significant difference between these cases and sputum cytology-negative adenocarcinoma with abnormal bronchoscopic findings. Combined with the bronchoscopic findings, sputum cytologic study is useful for preoperative evaluation of lymph node metastasis and prognosis. This combined approach can provide information necessary to perform sufficient dissection of mediastinal lymph nodes and proper adjuvant therapy in sputum cytology-positive adenocarcinoma cases, even though there are no abnormal bronchoscopic findings.     

Trimodality therapy in stage III non-small cell lung cancer: prediction of recurrence by assessment of p185neu.

In a trimodality treatment approach for stage III non-small cell lung cancer the prognostic impact of pretherapeutic p185neu assessment was evaluated. Fifty-four patients were admitted to chemotherapy followed by twice-daily radiation with concomittant low-dose chemotherapy and subsequent surgery. Immunohistochemical assessment of p185neu expression was performed in paraffin-embedded mediastinal lymph node metastases, by mediastinoscopy biopsy prior to therapy. Paraffin-embedded biopsies of mediastinal lymph node metastases were available in 33 cases. Seven out of eight patients with positive p185neu staining developed distant metastases, in contrast to seven out of 25 negative cases. Expression of p185neu in mediastinal lymph node metastases was a significant predictor for progression-free survival (p=0.047) and resulted mainly from significant differences in metastases-free survival (p185neu-positive versus p185neu-negative: median, 11 versus 19 months; 2- and 3-yr rates, 13% and 0% versus 40% and 32%; p=0.04). On the basis of these preliminary results it was concluded that further evaluation of p185neu expression in trials on neoadjuvant and adjuvant therapy is warranted. When the prognostic impact of p185neu in such trials with larger patient numbers is confirmed, this may contribute to the identification of stratification variables for future treatment approaches of non-small cell lung cancer.     

Micrometastases in the cervical lymph nodes in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Few studies have investigated the presence of lymph node micrometastases (MM) in the cervical region of patients with esophageal squamous cell cancer. The present study examines the presence of cervical MM and attempts to determine a way to predict the occurrence and site of such micrometastases. A total of 2203 cervical lymph nodes and 118 mediastinal recurrent nerve nodes obtained from 86 patients with esophageal carcinoma were examined immunohistochemically using cytokeratins. Cervical lymph nodes and mediastinal recurrent nerve nodes metastases were detected histologically in 33 and 41 of the 86 patients respectively. Cervical lymph node and mediastinal recurrent nerve node MM were immunohistochemically detected in 16 (18.6%) and 6 (7.0%) patients respectively. Of these 16 patients with cervical MM, seven were found to have lymph node metastases in different cervical regions, whereas cervical MM only were detected in nine patients. Among the former group of patients, five were diagnosed by ultrasound examination as having cervical lymph node metastases. Mediastinal recurrent nerve node metastases and MM correlated with the presence of cervical MM in all but one patient. Cervical lymph node metastasis, including micrometastasis, can be predicted by preoperative ultrasonography and the routine histologic examination of mediastinal recurrent nerve nodes.     

Insignificance of prophylactic upper mediastinal lymph node dissection by sternotomy for papillary thyroid carcinoma

Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is characterized by extensive lymph node metastases. A considerably high frequency of lymph node metastases in the upper mediastinal compartment (UMC) has been reported. However, the significance of prophylactic upper mediastinal lymph node dissection (UMLND) by sternotomy as an appropriate therapeutic option has not yet been clarified. Thirty-three patients who underwent prophylactic UMLND by sternotomy for PTC at our institution between 1980 and 1987 (group A) were analyzed. One hundred and fifty-one consecutive patients with PTC who underwent curative total thyroidectomy, bilateral modified radical neck dissection, and UMLND by collar incision as initial treatment between 1990 and 1999 (group B) were analyzed as controls. The patterns of lymph node metastases in the cervical compartment of these two groups were comparable; distribution of lymph node metastases in UMC was considerably less frequent than in other compartments. Clinical relapse in UMC was not observed in both groups. No significant difference in disease specific survival or relapse free survival between group A and B was observed. The lack of clinical relapse in UMC in group B indicates that most of the lymph node metastases in this compartment could be resected by the conventional collar incision or most microscopic lymphatic metastases could remain dormant as with lateral microscopic node metastases. Thus, upper mediastinal lymph node metastases requiring sternotomy to resect in curable patients with PTC could be less frequent. Prophylactic UMLND by sternotomy for PTC is discouraged from a clinical view point.     

Endoscopic ultrasound examination for mediastinal lymph node metastases of lung cancer

Among patients with primary lung cancer who were admitted to the National Cancer Center Hospital from July 1987 to April 1988 for surgical treatments, 132 underwent preoperative transesophageal endoscopic ultrasound examination (EUS) on mediastinal lymph nodes. Of the 132 patients, 101 were pathologically evaluated and studied in this article. A GF-UM2 radial scanner with 7.5-MHz (Olympus Co Ltd) was used for image examination. The lymph nodes were diagnosed as positive for metastasis when they had thickened images, clear contours, and low echoing images of fusion or lobulation. The results obtained from 509 sites were as follows: sensitivity, 53.6 percent; specificity, 97.5 percent; positive predictive accuracy, 77.1 percent; negative predictive accuracy, 93.1 percent; and overall accuracy, 91.6 percent. The sensitivity rate was 80.6 percent excluding the result of the right superior mediastinal lymph nodes that were difficult to examine for anatomic reasons. Although EUS was considered to be an excellent method in diagnosing lymph node metastases, it had a blind angle in the field. More accurate diagnoses of mediastinal lymph node metastases could be achieved by using EUS and computed tomography (CT) together.     

Lymph node metastasis in gastric cardiac adenocarcinoma in male patients

AIM:To reveal the clinicopathological features and risk factors for lymph node metastases in gastric cardiac adenocarcinoma of male patients.METHODS:We retrospective reviewed a total of 146male and female patients with gastric cardiac adenocarcinoma who had undergone curative gastrectomy with lymphadenectomy in the Department of Surgery,Xin Hua Hospital and Rui Jin Hospital of Shanghai Jiaotong University Medical School between November2001 and May 2012.Both the surgical procedure and extent of lymph node dissection were based on the recommendations of Japanese gastric cancer treatment guidelines.Univariate and multivariate analyses of lymph node metastases and the clinicopathological features were undertaken.RESULTS:The rate of lymph node metastases in male patients with gastric cardiac adenocarcinoma was72.1%.Univariate analysis showed an obvious correlation between lymph node metastases and tumor size,gross appearance,differentiation,pathological tumor depth,and lymphatic invasion in male patients.Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that tumor differentiation and pathological tumor depth were the independent risk factors for lymph node metastases in male patients.There was an obvious relationship between lymph node metastases and tumor size,gross appearance,differentiation,pathological tumor depth,lymphatic invasion at pN1and pN2,and nerve invasion at pN3in male patients.There were no significant differences in clinicopathological features or lymph node metastases between female and male patients.CONCLUSION:Tumor differentiation and tumor depth were risk factors for lymph node metastases in male patients with gastric cardiac adenocarcinoma and should be considered when choosing surgery.     

Staging lymph node metastases from lung cancer in the mediastinum

Background

The presence of tumor metastases in the mediastinum is one of the most important elements in determining the optimal treatment strategy in patients with non-small cell lung cancer. This review is aimed at examining the current strategies for investigating lymph node metastases corresponding to an “N2” classification delineated by The International Staging Committee of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC).

Methods

Extensive review of the existing scientific literature related to the investigation of mediastinal lymph node metastases was undertaken in order to summarize and report current best practices.

Conclusions

N2 disease is very heterogeneous requiring multiple modalities for thorough investigation. New research is now focusing on better identifying, defining, and classifying lymph node metastases in the mediastinum. Molecular staging and sub-classifying mediastinal lymph node metastases are being actively researched in order to provide better prognostic value and to optimize treatment strategies. Non-invasive imaging, such as PET/CT and minimally invasive techniques such as endobronchial and endoscopic ultrasound guided biopsy, are now the lead investigative methods in evaluating the mediastinum for metastatic presence.KEYWORDS : Lung cancer, N2 disease, mediastinal metastasis, lymph node staging     

A comparison of cobalt (57Co) bleomycin scanning and contrast-enhanced CT scanning for assessment of the mediastinum in lung cancer.

Sixty patients with histologically proven lung cancer who had been accepted for mediastinoscopy or thoracotomy were prospectively entered into a study to evaluate computed tomographic (CT) scanning, 57Co-bleomycin scanning, and barium swallow in preoperative assessment of mediastinal lymph node metastasis. Fifty-six patients had thoracotomy at which all accessible lymph nodes were sampled. Twenty-four patients were found to have mediastinal tumor on histologic analysis of the resected mediastinal lymph nodes. Neither 57Co-bleomycin scanning nor barium swallow were clinically useful, with sensitivities of 21 percent and 11 percent respectively, whereas CT scanning was helpful. However, there was no clear cutoff point of node size to optimize sensitivity and specificity for CT scanning. When nodes greater than or equal to 15 mm were taken to indicate likely malignancy, the sensitivity was 58 percent and the specificity was 87 percent and when greater than or equal to 10 mm was used the sensitivity was 80 percent but the specificity was only 55 percent. There was no clear relationship between the size of the largest resected lymph node in each patient and the presence of malignant lymph nodes. Only 42 percent of patients with resected nodes greater than or equal to 2 cm had histologic evidence of metastases. We conclude that CT scanning should be used to indicate the presence and site of mediastinal lymph nodes, which, when visualized, should always be sampled and histologically examined prior to resection of primary tumor.     

声明

近期发现又有不法分子假冒我刊投稿系统。本刊再次声明,http://sdyy.cbpt.cnki.net为本刊惟一稿件处理系统,其余均为假冒。请广大作者投稿时注意核对,谨防上当受骗。     

可切除性肺癌胸内淋巴结转移的临床研究

目的　探讨可切除性肺癌的胸内淋巴结转移规律。方法　收集１９９２ 年１ 月～１９９８ 年７月可切除性肺癌１６０ 例,在肺癌术中分区摘除肺门淋巴结（Ｎ１） 和纵隔淋巴结（Ｎ２）,记录各区淋巴结的数量、大小和颜色,按区检查每一个淋巴结有无转移癌。结果　１６０ 例肺癌中有淋巴结转移者９９ 例（６１－９％ ）,Ｎ２ 转移者７３ 例（４５－６％ ） 。离肺门或肺根部最近的１１、１０ 、７、５ 和４ 区淋巴结的转移频度较高,较远的９、６、３、２ 和１ 区则明显降低。淋巴结≥２ ｃｍ 的癌转移度为６０－７ ％ 、≥１ ｃｍ 为１５－５％ 、＜ １ｃｍ 为４－３％ 。有转移癌的最小淋巴结为０－２ ｃｍ 。小细胞肺癌（ＳＣＬＣ）的淋巴结转移明显高于非小细胞肺癌（ＮＳＣＬＣ）（ Ｐ＜ ０－０５） 。结论　多数肺癌的淋巴结转移遵循由近向远、由下向上、由肺内经肺门向纵隔顺序转移的规律。淋巴结转移与肿瘤的部位、大小、病程均无关,ＳＣＬＣ更易发生淋巴结转移。确诊淋巴结有无转移癌必须依靠病理检查。