Bone marrow examination in small cell carcinoma of the lung. Comparison of trephine biopsy with aspiration.

Bone marrow examinations in 146 patients with small cell carcinoma of the lung were reviewed. The results of trephine biopsy and aspiration were compared in 128 patients in whom both techniques were performed. Twenty-seven of the 128 examinations (21.2%) showed positive aspirates and 30 biopsies (23.4%) revealed metastatic disease. The overall agreement between the aspirates and biopsies was 96.1%. Thirty-one patients (24.2%) had metastatic tumor in either aspirate or biopsy: 4 of these (12.9%) had a positive biopsy with negative aspirate, and 1 (3.2%) showed a positive aspirate and negative biopsy. The Jamshidi needle was used, yielding an average of 4.1 cm of core material per biopsy. The authors conclude that bone marrow biopsy using the Jamshidi needle is equivalent to aspiration. Although both procedures are complementary, a satisfactory specimen obtained with the Jamshidi needle alone may yield nearly equal detection to the combined procedures. Some guidelines for obtaining an optimal biopsy specimen are suggested.