To the Editors:
We read with interest the editorial comment on endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) biopsy in the chest by Vilmann and Larsen 1.
With conviction, they claim the importance of EUS-FNA in the work-up of enlarged mediastinal lymph nodes, especially in lung cancer patients. They even state that: “we really do not need additional proof before EUS-FNA is considered the gold standard for invasive staging of nonsmall cell lung cancer and for diagnosis of posterior mediastinal lesions”.
However, as they also state in their discussion, no studies have actually compared mediastinoscopy (the current gold standard) and EUS-FNA in a controlled and blinded study design. Moreover, other concerns about EUS-FNA can be raised, which are not mentioned in their comments, such as the following.
First, according to Vilmann and …