Diagnostic role of core needle biopsy in cervical lymphadenopathy.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the value of core needle biopsy (CNB) compared to fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) in cervical lymphadenopathy. This consecutive case series enrolled 208 patients with cervical lymphadenopathy. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) were evaluated and the necessity of an additional open biopsy was compared. The sensitivity and NPV for critical disease (lymphoma, carcinoma, and tuberculosis) were significantly higher with CNB (p = .006, p = .001, respectively) than with FNAC. In the analysis based on specific disease, the sensitivity of CNB was statistically significantly higher (p = .009) for the diagnosis of lymphoma. The rate of open biopsy for confirmative diagnosis was significantly lower with CNB (p = .014). CNB is beneficial for initial examination in cervical lymphadenopathy and showed higher sensitivity and NPV than FNAC. It is especially useful for screening for lymphoma.