Hello
I was wondering why a thoracic surgeon was unable to biopsy a lymph node. He had to do a cell scrape instead as he said he wasn't able to obtain a tissue sample.
What would prevent a tissue sample being taken? I did ask but got no answer before he left the room.
Thanks in advance
Jane
Hi Jane G,
Thanks for your post and welcome to the online community.
I’m Eileen one of the Cancer Information Nurse Specialists on the Macmillan Support Line.
There are different approaches that can be used to biopsy mediastinal lymph nodes including mediastinoscopy and fine needle aspiration.
One of the problems in trying to obtain a tissue sample from this part of the anatomy is the number of important organs and blood vessels located in a relatively small area.
This can make it difficult to access lymph nodes and might be the reason your surgeon was unable to perform the biopsy.
As we are not part of the NHS and don’t have access to your medical records it’s difficult for us to comment on your particular case but if you require further information, we suggest contacting your Clinical Nurse Specialist or Consultant. They will be able to explain the reason the biopsy could not proceed.
I hope this is helpful but please don’t hesitate to get back in touch if you need further information or support.
Best wishes
Eileen
Our Ref AM
