Aims
To evaluate the Diagnostic Yield (adequacy rate) of Endoscopic Ultrasound-Guided Fine Needle Biopsy (EUS-FNB) in a cohort of patients with solid pancreatic (NP) and solid non-pancreatic (OTHER) lesions, stratifying the results across four age groups (< 50, 50-70, 71-80, > 81 years).
Methods
A single-center, retrospective analysis was conducted on data collected over an extended period, between May 2019 and August 2025, to ensure technique homogeneity. The study included 398 patients who underwent EUS-FNB of solid lesions; cystic lesions and pancreatic cysts were excluded from the analysis. Diagnostic Yield was calculated as the proportion of Adequate samples (Positive or Negative result, 1+3) relative to the total number of procedures, distinguishing between Pancreatic Neoplasm (NP) and Other Diagnoses (OTHER).
Results
The overall Diagnostic Yield (Adequate) for EUS-FNB was 95.2% (379/398). The age-stratified analysis yielded the following adequacy rates indicated in the table.
|
Age Group |
NP (n) |
NP Adequate |
OTHER (n) |
OTHER Adequate |
|
< 50 yrs |
22 |
95.5% |
20 |
95.0% |
|
50-70 yrs |
106 |
93.4% |
41 |
92.7% |
|
71-80 yrs |
121 |
99.2% |
31 |
96.8% |
|
> 81 yrs |
47 |
93.6% |
10 |
80.0% |
|
Total |
296 |
95.9% |
102 |
93.1% |
Conclusions
EUS-FNB for solid lesions provides an excellent and stable Diagnostic Yield (> 93%) for Pancreatic Neoplasm across all ages, aligning with the highest reported rates from high-volume centers in the literature. The procedure is confirmed to be robust, and its effectiveness is not compromised by patient age. However, the risk of obtaining a non-adequate sample is concentrated particularly in patients over 81 with solid non-pancreatic lesions, emphasizing the need for further studies and optimized protocols for EUS-FNB in this frail population and challenging anatomical locations.