Biopsy with Needle, Not Scalpel

Newswise — Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) can visualize solid masses in the pancreas better than conventional ultrasound or CT scans, but its ability to differentiate between cancer and inflammatory masses is limited. UAB gastroenterologist Mohamad A. Eloubeidi, M.D., reported in December's American Journal of Gastroenterology that EUS can guide a fine-needle through the wall of the stomach or duodenum and aspirate enough tissue from the pancreas for biopsy, allowing many patients to avoid surgery. "EUS-fine needle aspiration is highly accurate in identifying patients with suspected pancreatic cancer, especially when other techniques fail. Tissue is obtained in 98 percent of cases with overall accuracy of 87 percent."