A randomized prospective trial of the utility of rapid on-site evaluation of transbronchial needle aspirate specimens.

Background: Previous studies have suggested an increased diagnostic yield for flexible bronchoscopic transbronchial needle aspirate (TBNA) specimens from lymph nodes when using rapid on-site evaluation by cytopathology but were limited by a lack of randomization, suggesting that selection bias may have contributed to its higher reported yield with TBNA.

Objectives: The purpose of our study was to determine the effect of rapid on-site evaluation (ROSE) on the diagnostic power of TBNA.

Methods: The study is a prospective randomized controlled trial.

Primary extragastrointestinal stromal tumor of the pleura: report of a unique case with genetic confirmation.

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs), the most common mesenchymal neoplasms of the tubular gastrointestinal tract, usually originate in the wall of the stomach or small intestine. Most GISTs harbor oncogenic mutations in either the KIT or platelet-derived growth factor receptor alpha (PDGFRA) tyrosine kinase receptor genes and show differentiation along the lines of the interstitial cells of Cajal. Rarely, GISTs arise primarily in the omentum, mesentery, or retroperitoneum, at which sites they are referred to as "extragastrointestinal stromal tumors" (EGISTs).