Assessment of preoperative pancreatic biopsy, cytological/histological review of cell‐block‐specimens obtained by endoscopic ultrasound‐guided fine‐needle aspiration: Laboratory‐based study

BACKGROUND: Pancreatic cancer is among the most lethal cancers worldwide due to the limited availability of techniques for early detection of signs and symptoms. Reportedly, it is the fourth‐leading cause of cancer‐related mortality among Japanese adults. With the advent of endoscopic ultrasound‐guided fine‐needle aspiration (EUS‐FNA) for diagnosing pancreatic cancer, the rate of the cytological and histological diagnoses of cell‐block‐specimens has significantly increased in Japan. METHODS: The cytological specimens of 165 patients with pancreatic lesions obtained using EUS‐FNA between January 2010 and July 2016 at the Kyorin University Hospital were investigated. The clinical course of 153 patients was assessed from their clinical records, which included information on their imaging diagnosis, laboratory data, final clinical diagnosis and treatment; moreover, the accuracy of the cytological/histological examination and clinical diagnosis at our hospital were analysed. RESULTS: The number of cells in cell‐block‐specimens was too small to estimate data. However, cytological specimens were sufficient to observe the findings of suspected malignancy such as necrosis. Biopsy was deemed necessary for diagnosis using both histological and cytological specimens. CONCLUSION: EUS‐FNA can be used not only to diagnose benign or malignant types of pancreatic cancers but also to assess the sensitivity of molecular target drugs and chemotherapy methods. Therefore, both histological and cytological diagnoses are required to enhance diagnostic precision both in our hospital and at other institutions.