Predictors of malignant lymph node involvement in patients with mediastinal lymphadenopathy and previous cancer: A cohort study.

Background: Mediastinal lymphadenopathy is a common finding in follow-up after diagnosis of malignancy, and may represent recurrence of malignancy, or benign processes such as sarcoidosis. CT and PET-CT are commonly used, despite limited ability to discriminate between benign and malignant disease, and although EBUS-guided bronchoscopy is often performed, it is relatively invasive and may not always be safe in high-risk patients. Clinical and radiological predictors for cancer recurrence could therefore be of value.