Clinical utility of computed tomography-guided core needle biopsy in the diagnostic re-evaluation of patients with lymphoproliferative disorders and suspected disease progression

Background: Histological transformation is a common clinical event in patients with lymphoproliferative diseases, often requiring a modification in therapy. Minimally invasive biopsy techniques have been used for initial diagnosis of these disorders but their role has not been systematically evaluated in disease progression. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the yield of computed tomography (CT)-guided core needle biopsy in patients with lymphoproliferative disorders and suspected disease progression. Patients and methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of the records of patients with known lymphoproliferative disorders who underwent CT-guided core needle biopsy during the course of their disease, between 1990 and 2002. Results: A total of 130 patients with lymphoproliferative disorders (91 patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, 21 with Hodgkin's disease, 10 with chronic lymphocytic leukemia, six with combined malignancies and two with Castleman's disease) underwent CT-guided core needle biopsy 4.7+/-5.1 (standard deviation) (range 0-40) years after initial diagnosis. The procedure was diagnostic in 98 cases (75.4%). In 22 patients (17%) a subsequent open biopsy was performed, and in 10 (7.6%) the final diagnosis remained unconfirmed. Histological transformation was found in 20 cases (15.4%), of which 19 were suspected clinically. A new diagnosis (malignant and non-malignant) was apparent in 18 cases (13.9%) and relapsed or ongoing evidence of the original disease was found in 82 (63%). Conclusions: CT-guided core needle biopsy is a reliable procedure in patients with suspected histological transformation of lymphoproliferative disorders, and should be used as the initial tool for pathological re-evaluation.