Feasibility, efficacy, and safety of core needle biopsy as a first-line method for cervical lymphadenopathy

Objectives: This study aimed to determine the feasibility, diagnostic efficacy, and safety of ultrasound-guided core needle biopsy (CNB) as a first-line biopsy method for cervical lymphadenopathy of non-thyroid origin.

Materials and methods: This retrospective cohort study included consecutive patients with cervical lymphadenopathy in whom US-guided CNB was used as the first-line biopsy method for cervical lymph nodes (LNs) of presumed non-thyroid origin. The coaxial CNB technique was routinely used, while the tilting and hydrodissection CNB techniques were selectively employed for small high-risk LNs. The primary endpoint of this study was the diagnostic efficacy of CNB, evaluated by the rate of inconclusive results (nondiagnostic and indeterminate) and diagnostic accuracy (criterion 1: malignant results; criterion 2: malignant or indeterminate result). The secondary outcomes included the feasibility and safety of CNB, assessed based on the technical success rate and complication rate, respectively.

Results: The rates of nondiagnostic, indeterminate, and inconclusive results were 0.7%, 3.4%, and 4.1%, respectively. The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of CNB for malignant LNs were 96.2%, 100%, and 97.8%, respectively, with criterion 1, and these values were all 99.8% with criterion 2. The technical success rate of CNB was 99.3%. There were no major complications and 7 cases (0.6%) of minor complications (asymptomatic hematomas).

Conclusion: CNB was technically feasible, effective, and safe as a first-line biopsy method for cervical lymphadenopathy of non-thyroid origin with high diagnostic accuracy for malignant nodal disease.

Key points: Question The role of US-guided CNB as a first-line biopsy method for cervical LNs has not yet been verified and established. Findings US-guided CNB, as a first-line method, demonstrated a high technical success rate and diagnostic accuracy for malignant nodes, with few minor complications. Clinical relevance US-guided CNB can be used as an effective first-line biopsy method for cervical lymphadenopathy and will enable accurate diagnosis of malignant LNs.