Prospective Study FNB, Is It Time To Abandon Cytological Assessment ((FACET))

Prospective Study FNB, Is It Time To Abandon Cytological Assessment (FACET)

Endoscopic Ultrasound (EUS) is a minimally invasive procedure used by gastroenterologists to examine pancreatic masses and lesions. A fine needle is traversed through an endoscope and used to acquire tissue samples, which are then sent for pathology. The standard approach for diagnosing solid pancreatic lesions has been fine needle aspiration (FNA) (Han et al. 2016). However, the use of FNA comes with its limitations, some of which include multiple needle passes to acquire fluid, the need for on-site cytologists, and decreased diagnostic yield. Fine needle biopsy (FNB) is the latest approach being employed by endosonographers in lieu of FNA. FNB confers several advantages over FNB. First, FNB requires fewer needle passes than FNA to acquire tissue sample for immunohistochemical staining. In addition, FNB provides better tissues samples, greater sensitivity of the tissue core, and thus, improved diagnostic yields (Tian et al. 2018). Finally, FNB is more cost-effective than FNA and relies on pathologists, instead of on-site cytologists, and preserves the tissue core (Tian et al. 2018). The objective of this study is to establish a database of samples placed in formalin for patients who will undergo a fine-needle biopsy (FNB) for pathological evaluation without rapid on site cytological assessment.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Pancreatic Neoplasms
• Intervention / Treatment: Procedure: Fine-Needle Biopsy (FNB)

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Actual): 52

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Texas
    • Houston, Texas, United States, 77030
      • Baylor College of Medicine
    • Houston, Texas, United States, 77030
      • Baylor St. Lukes Medical Center (BSLMC)

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 100 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Patients referred to EUS-FNB for pancreatic mass lesions

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Patient is greater than or equal to 18 years of age
• Patient is referred to EUS-FNB for pancreatic mass lesions

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patient is younger than 18 years of age
• Patient refused and/or unable to provide consent
• Patient is a pregnant woman

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Sensitivity and Specificity using FNB sampling pancreatic mass	% of core tissue obtained, number of needle passes made, and assessment of any procedure related adverse events	2 years
Diagnostic yield between FNB samples placed in formalin for pathology evaluation from two different types of needle		2 years

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
Rate of adverse events of utilizing the FNB technique, including pancreatitis, bleeding, or perforation	2 years

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Baylor College of Medicine

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): April 9, 2021
• Primary Completion (Actual): April 6, 2023
• Study Completion (Actual): October 10, 2023

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: November 1, 2019
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 13, 2019
• First Posted (Actual): November 15, 2019

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): March 24, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 20, 2026
• Last Verified: October 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Pancreatic masses and lesions
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Endocrine System Diseases; Neoplasms by Site; Neoplasms; Digestive System Neoplasms; Digestive System Diseases; Endocrine Gland Neoplasms; Pancreatic Diseases; Pancreatic Neoplasms; Investigative Techniques; Specimen Handling; Clinical Laboratory Techniques; Diagnostic Techniques and Procedures; Diagnosis; Punctures; Surgical Procedures, Operative; Cytological Techniques; Biopsy; Cytodiagnosis; Diagnostic Techniques, Surgical; Biopsy, Needle; Biopsy, Fine-Needle
• Other Study ID Numbers: H-44963

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No