Histopathological spectrum of lesions in gastrointestinal endoscopic biopsy: A prospective study of 500 cases

Abstract

Lesion of the gastrointestinal tract is a very common condition encountered in medical science. An endoscopic biopsy is a favourable tool for early diagnosis and management of these conditions. The aim of the work is to study the histopathological spectrum of gastrointestinal endoscopic biopsy. In a prospective study of 500 biopsies, Formalin-fixed tissue was processed and stained with Hematoxylin-Eosin stain and studied under the microscope. A wide spectrum of neoplastic and non-neoplastic lesions was noted with male preponderance in most of the gastrointestinal tract. The commonest age group was 6 decades of life. Mean age being 51.83years. Predominant sample collected was from stomach accounting for 36.6% of total gastrointestinal biopsies. The ratio between non-malignant: malignant lesion was 2.7:1. Majority of the malignancy was Adenocarcinoma seen in 71 out of 135 cases closely followed by Squamous cell carcinoma (62/135). Most of the oesophageal malignancy was squamous cell carcinoma whereas adenocarcinoma was common in rest of the gastrointestinal tract. Gastritis was the commonest non-neoplastic lesion. Celiac disease was common in our study. Eight cases of adenomatous polyp identified, four of them showed high-grade dysplasia. Celiac disease and inflammatory bowel disease need further studies as there were many overlapping features which make a definitive diagnosis difficult. Endoscopy itself is insufficient in the diagnosis and management of gastrointestinal tract disease and biopsy must be performed in all cases of suspected endoscopic finding. Conditions like Barrett’s oesophagus, Celiac disease, Inflammatory Bowel Disease and high-grade dysplasia needs timely intervention to avoid more serious complications.