Is scalene lymph node biopsy still effective ?

Abstract

Excision of scalene lymph nodes by surgical biopsy technique is a valuable method for the diagnosis and treatment plan of thoracic and extrathoracic malignancies and some granulomatous diseases. In this study, we aimed to investigate the efficacy and safety of scalene lymph node biopsy as a diagnostic tool. Surgical biopsy was performed in 15 patients with palpable scalene lymph nodes and their data were retrospectively analyzed. The material obtained by scalene lymph node biopsy was sufficient for 93.3% of the diagnoses. Of the diagnoses, 33.3% were non-small cell lung carcinoma metastasis, 26.7% were small cell lung carcinoma metastasis, 26.7% were lymphoma and 13.3% were non-cancer pathology. No complications were observed during or after the scalene lymph node biopsy procedure in any of the patients. Scalene lymph node biopsy is a reliable, inexpensive, and effective method for diagnosis.

Keywords

• Scalene Lymph Node
• Lung Cancer
• Lymph Node Biopsy

References

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