The impact of ultrasonography-guided fine needle aspiration of no palpable supraclavicular lymph nodes on diagnosis and staging in advanced lung cancer.

Diagnosis and accurate staging of lung cancer is essential for selection of appropriate curative or palliative therapy and affects patient prognosis. Both invasive and non-invasive procedures are used for this purpose. We aimed to assess the frequency of no palpable supraclavicular lymph node metastases in lung cancer patients with enlarged mediastinal lymph nodes, and their impact on diagnosis and staging using ultrasound in this study. Lung cancer patients with no palpable supraclavicular lymph nodes and at least 2 enlarged mediastinal lymph nodes on computerized tomography underwent supraclavicular ultrasound examination. Ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration (US-guided FNA) was performed when enlarged lymph nodes were present. Supraclavicular lymph node metastasis was confirmed cytologically via US-guided FNA in 16 (40%) of 40 patients. Upper paratracheal lymphadenomegaly was significantly higher in patients with supraclavicular metastases than in those without. No statistical significant differences were observed in the stage, cell types, and metastases of patients with or without supraclavicular metastases. In 3 patients US-guided FNA was used for diagnosis. More than one-third of lung cancer patients with enlarged mediastinal lymph nodes had supraclavicular lymph node metastases in present study. US-guided FNA is an easier, safer, and less invasive procedure than standard techniques used to diagnose lung cancer patients with enlarged mediastinal lymph nodes.

Ultrasound guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy of metastases in nonpalpable supraclavicular lymph nodes in lung cancer patients.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: To assess frequency and significance of enlarged nonpalpable supraclavicular lymph nodes with routine ultrasound (US) evaluation and US-guided fineneedle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) for the diagnosis and staging of patients with lung cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 106 consecutive patients with lung cancer and nonpalpable supraclavicular lymph nodes were evaluated with cervical US for the presence of pathological lymph nodes. FNAB was performed in patients with nodes with short-axis > 5 mm, rounded shape and missing echogenic hilum. RESULTS: 27 (25.5%) patients had enlarged supraclavicular lymph nodes on US. Fourteen patients (13.2%) had cytologically proven lymph node involvement. Supraclavicular lymph node metastasis was more frequent in patients with mediastinal invasion (p = 0.0001) and patients with enlarged lymph nodes on upper paratracheal stations on thorax CT (p = 0.0001). No relation was found between supraclavicular lymph node involvement and T stage (p = 0.27), distant metastasis (p = 0.50) or histological type (p = 0.80). Three patients were upstaged from IIIA to IIIB status. US-guided FNAB was the only diagnostic method in 2 patients. CONCLUSION: US-guided FNAB is a simple and safe procedure which can document N3 stage of disease in lung cancer patients. Thereby more invasive and expensive diagnostic procedures can be avoided in selected lung cancer patients.

Effect of fenoxaprop-p-ethyl on natural plankton of the Seyhan Dam: a microcosm study.

Fenoxaprop-p-ethyl, a herbicide that is commonly used in Cukurova region, was studied for possible adverse impacts on the Seyhan dam plankton and water quality variables in laboratory microcosms for 40 days. Water containing natural plankton, and sediment were collected from the Seyhan dam. The herbicide was added to six microcosms in 0.1, 1, and 10 mg L(-1) concentrations. Two microcosms were used as reference groups. The results indicate that pennat diatom, Cladocera, and Copepoda at 10 mg L(-1) contaminations and centric diatom and Chlorophyta at 1 mg L(-1) contamination were affected. This herbicide did not alter water quality.