Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Ultrasound-Guided Fine-Needle Aspiration for Assessing Suspected Deep Pelvic or Abdominal Recurrence in Gynecologic Cancer: A Feasibility Study

Objectives: To assess the feasibility of gastrointestinal endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)-guided fine-needle aspiration (FNA) for histologic confirmation of cancer recurrence in women with gynecologic cancer.

Methods: This work was a retrospective cohort study comprising 46 consecutive women treated for gynecologic cancer and suspected of having a deep pelvic or abdominal recurrence on ultrasound imaging, computed tomography, positron emission tomography-computed tomography, or magnetic resonance imaging, evaluated at our institution from January 2010 to December 2017. Primary cancer was ovarian (n = 22), cervical (n = 13), endometrial (n = 4), sarcoma (n = 4), and other (n = 3). All women underwent EUS examinations for locating the lesion and guiding FNA. The results of FNA (benign/malignant) were assessed. Procedure-related complications were recorded.

Results: The patients' mean age was 57.8 years. A total of 66 procedures were performed. Eleven women underwent 2 procedures; 2 women underwent 3 procedures; and 1 woman underwent 6 procedures at different times during the study period. In 1 case, no lesion was detected on the EUS assessment, and in 2 cases, FNA was not successful. Most lesions were located in the retroperitoneum or involved the intestine. Fine-needle aspiration could be performed in 63 cases (94.5%). Cytologic samples were adequate in 62 of 63 (98.4%). Recurrence was confirmed in 56 cases (90.3%) and ruled out in 6 (9.7%). No patient had any complication related to the procedure.

Conclusions: Endoscopic ultrasound-guided FNA is a minimally invasive, feasible, and safe technique for confirming pelvic/abdominal recurrence of gynecologic cancer.

CITATION  J Ultrasound Med. 2019 Mar;38(3):761-765.  doi: 10.1002/jum.14766.  Epub 2018 Aug 31.