Percutaneous fine needle aspiration biopsy cytology of the liver for staging small cell lung carcinoma. Comparison with other methods.

Fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) is used routinely in the diagnosis of primary, benign, malignant and metastatic hepatic tumors. At our hospital, the staging protocol for small cell lung carcinomas and lymphomas requires biochemical determination of liver function, hepatic radionuclide analysis with 99Tc and abdominal echography (used also for FNAB guidance). We analyzed the effectiveness of these methods in 16 patients with a previous diagnosis of small cell lung carcinoma. They represented 22.5% of 71 patients on whom 142 FNABs of the liver were performed. Biochemistry was normal in 1 case of tumor and abnormal in 19 others in which all other determinations were normal. Echography was positive in 12 of the 16 cases; gammagraphy was abnormal in 11. FNAB of the liver therefore increased the sensitivity of the other procedures.