Table 1.
Comparison between diffuse and partial involvement of lymph nodes. The percentage is exhibited ignoring missing data.
| Involvement degree | Partial positivity N= 40 (51.9%) | Diffuse positivity N=37 (48.1%) | p-value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years, mean ±SD) | 56.8 (±14.7) | 56.5 (±12.8) | 0.940 |
| Gender, male n (%) | 19 (47.5%) | 19 (51.4%) | 0.736 |
| Smoker, n (%) | 6 (15.0%) | 16 (45.7%) | 0.004 |
| CCI (mean ±SD) | 2.93 (±2.55) | 2.81 (±2.25) | 0.825 |
| Calcium blood level (mg/dL, mean ±SD) | 9.57 (±0.57) | 9.73 (±0.61) | 0.376 |
| Creatinine blood level (mg/dL, mean ±SD) | 0.82 (±0.28) | 0.90 (±0.49) | 0.484 |
| CRP blood level (mg/L, mean ±SD) | 11.65 (±22.48) | 6.50 (±14.22) | 0.442 |
| BMI (mean ±SD) | 28.85 (±4.79) | 29.05 (±5.41) | 0.871 |
| Respiratory symptoms n (%) | 27 (67.5%) | 16 (43.2%) | 0.032 |
| Radiological staging: Stage 1, n (%) Stage 2, n (%) Stage 3, n (%) |
12 (30.0%) 25 (62.5%) 3 (7.5%) |
13 (35.1%) 23 (62.2%) 1 (2.7%) |
0.472 |
| FEV1 at diagnosis (mean ±SD) | 86.1 (±18.5) | 85.1 (±19.9) | 0.833 |
| FVC at diagnosis (mean ±SD) | 85.8 (±16.5) | 83.3 (±16.5) | 0.527 |
| Size of the largest TLN (mean ±SD) | 15.5 (±5.47) | 16.2 (±5.44) | 0.556 |
| Location of largest LN measured on CT scan.* Mediastinal node, n (%) | 33 (86.8%) | 32 (88.9%) | 0.788 |
| Number of sampled lymph nodes (mean ±SD) | 2.12 (±0.91) | 2.22 (±0.75) | 0.549 |
| Extra nodular biopsy, n (%) | 23 (57.5%) | 21 (56.8%) | 0.948 |
| Positive extra nodular biopsy, n (%) | 20 (87.0%) | 13 (61.9%) | 0.055 |
Abbreviations: CCI, Charlson comorbidity index. CRP, C-reactive protein. TBB, Transbronchial biopsy. EBB, Endobronchial biopsy. *TLNs are divided into several stations numbered from 1 to 14 according to lymph node location along the trachea, mediastinum, and bronchial tree. Only a few of those locations are available for biopsy by EBUS-Mediastinal nodes (2R 2L 4R 4L 7); Hilar nodes (10R 10L 11R 11L).