Pathological variations of lung masses

Introduction: Lung is a common place for the spread of tumors from within or other parts of the body. Lung shadows with a diameter less than or larger than 3 cm are termed lung nodule or mass respectively. Aims: To study the histopathological spectrum of lung masses and efficacy of computerized tomography guided FNAC/biopsy in diagnosis of lung masses. Materials and Methods: Forty (40) cases picked up as lung masses on conventional screening & CT scan were subjected to CT guided FNAC/Biopsy and their pathological variations were studied. Results: A total of 40 cases were studied. The mean age of the patients was 60.57 years with 25 (62.5%) males and 15 (37.5%) females. 65% of lesions were in right lung. Malignant lesions were more common and accounted for 27 (67.5 %) cases and benign in 8 (20%) cases. Amongst the malignant lesions, adenocarcinoma was seen in 16 (59.25%), squamous cell carcinoma in 10 (37.03%) and small cell carcinoma in 1 (3.70%) case. Conclusion: FNAC is a simple, relatively safe, rapid, reliable technique for the diagnosis of pulmonary mass lesions, particularly with the aid of computed tomography (CT) scan. FNAC not only distinguishes between benign and malignant lesions but also helps in tumor typing of lung cancer. Keywords: Lung mass, Computed tomography, Needle biopsy.