Diagnosis of lymph node metastasis by endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration more than 1 year after lung cancer resection: report of a case

The usefulness of endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) for lymph node staging of lung cancer is well known; however, its utility for the diagnosis of postoperative recurrence remains unclear. Establishing a pathological diagnosis of postoperative intrathoracic recurrence of lung cancer is very difficult because of the anatomical changes that occur after resection. Computed tomography (CT) and/or positron emission tomography (PET) have limitations, as they provide nonpathological information. We report a case of postoperative lymph node recurrence successfully diagnosed using EBUS-TBNA. Repeated EBUS-TBNA also allowed us to evaluate the effectiveness of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, and to follow the patient’s clinical course. We report this case to show the usefulness of EBUS-TBNA for making clinical decisions in the management of patients with postoperative recurrence of lung cancer.