Lung and mediastinal tumor core biopsies: Histopathological features of 320 cases

Histopathological diagnosis is needed to determine the most appropriate prognosis and therapy for lung and mediastinal tumors, one of the procedures to obtain specimens needed for the examination is a core biopsy. However, core biopsy still requires further evaluation regarding the accuracy and benefits of the technique. This study aims to determine the histopathological features of core biopsy specimens in lung and mediastinal tumors. Designed as a descriptive study using a retrospective approach, we collected medical records of core biopsy results in patients with lung and mediastinal tumors diagnosis at Dr. Soetomo Hospital Surabaya, Indonesia during 1st July 2015-30th June 2020 with total sampling. Of the total 320 cases, 67.8% (n=217) lesions were found in the lung and 32.2% (n=103) in the mediastinum. The most common age distribution for lung tumors was 51-60 years old (34.6%, n=75), while mediastinal tumors were 11-20 years old (20.4%, n=21). Male were more common, both in lung tumors (77.0%, n=167) and mediastinal tumors (61.2%, n=63). The most common histopathological features of lung tumors were lung adenocarcinoma (46.5%, n=101), while in the mediastinum was indeterminate (41.7%, n=43). The age profile of lung tumors is different from that of mediastinal tumors, both are dominated by male. The core biopsy procedure is very useful in establishing the diagnosis of lung and mediastinal tumors. In the indeterminate result, the tissue sample obtained through the core biopsy procedure allows for further molecular examinations including immunohistochemistry, so that a definitive diagnosis can be established.