Evaluating Needle Change During EBUS-TBNA for Differentiating N2a and N2b in Lung Cancer Mediastinal Staging A Prospective Pilot Study

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are evaluating whether changing the needle between lymph node stations during EBUS-TBNA staging improves discrimination between N2a and N2b in patients with mediastinal lymphadenopathy suspected or confirmed to have lung cancer. This prospective pilot study aims to compare two rounds of EBUS staging to assess the necessity of needle changes during the procedure. The study involves performing an initial round of EBUS-TBNA staging where the needle is changed between all lymph node stations, followed by a second round without changing the needle. This comparison seeks to determine if needle change affects the agreement between staging results. Participants will undergo these two rounds of EBUS staging during the same procedure. Researchers will measure the agreement between the two rounds over 18 months to evaluate if changing the needle influences staging accuracy. The study involves adult patients who have a pulmonary lesion suspicious for or confirmed as lung cancer and require mediastinal staging.

Discrimination of N2a and N2b by EBUS-TBNA: is a Change of the Needle Necessary?