A study of cervical lymph node metastasis from an unknown primary site diagnosed using core needle biopsy

Abstract

The UICC/AJCC 8th edition TNM classification was revised in 2017, requiring histological examination for the presence or absence of HPV and EBV for a diagnosis of cervical lymph node metastasis from an unknown primary site. We retrospectively analyzed 4 patients with cervical lymph node metastasis from an unknown primary site who visited our hospital from November 1, 2017 to June 30, 2018. We performed tissue sampling with CNB and examined p16 （immunostaining） and EBER-ISH. In all cases, CNB under local anesthesia was possible without complications such as bleeding and airway narrowing. As a result of pathological examination of the obtained tissue, evaluation of p16, EBER-ISH was possible. In conclusion, it was possible to investigate HPV and EBV-related cancers by CNB in cervical lymph node metastasis from an unknown primary site, and it was considered to be useful as a tissue sampling method before treatment.