Epidemiological Trends of Lung Tumours on Endobronchial Biopsy in Patients Presenting to Tertiary Care Hospital

Abstract

Objective: To determine the epidemiological trends of lung tumours on endobronchial biopsy in patients presenting to our hospital.

Study Design: Prospective longitudinal study.

Place and Duration of Study: Department of Pulmonology, Pak Emirates Military Hospital, Rawalpindi Pakistan, from Nov 2021 to Jun 2022.

Methodology: Two hundred eighty-seven patients who exhibited clinical and/or radiological signs of a lung mass were enrolled in this study. Bronchoscopy was done to identify endobronchial lesions, followed by endobronchial biopsies submitted for histopathology and immunohistochemistry to diagnose the exact type of tumour. Patients who underwent bronchoscopy for some other indication but were found to have an endobronchial mass incidentally were also included in the study.

Results: Squamous cell carcinoma was the most common 107(37.3%), followed by small cell carcinoma 76(26.5%). Adenocarcinoma was diagnosed in 75 patients (26.1%). Diagnosis of carcinoid tumour was made in 6 patients (2.09%). There were 5 cases (1.7%) of poorly differentiated carcinoma and metastatic adenocarcinoma each. Large cell carcinoma was present only in 2 cases (0.7%). Strangely, two patients (0.7%) had small and Squamous cells simultaneously, and one had adenosquamous carcinoma. Other tumours, including mantle cell lymphoma, Rhabdomyosarcoma, mucoepidermoid carcinoma, neuroendocrine tumours, spindle cell carcinoma and sarcomatoid carcinoma, were found in 8 cases (2.8%).

Conclusion: Squamous cell carcinoma is the most common centrally arising tumour in our population in both genders, followed by small cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma.
Keywords: Epidemiology, Endobronchial mass, Lung cancer, Squamous cell carcinoma.