Biopsy of Lungs and Pleura in Hematologic Center

Background & Aims. Morphological, immunohistochemical, immunophenotypic, cytogenetic, molecular and genetic and other examinations of tissues affected by oncohematological diseases are obligatory. The aim of this paper is to evaluate findings of lung and pleura biopsies in different medical conditions using two basic techniques: thoracoscopy and diagnostic thoracotomy. Methods. Results of morphological examination of lung lesions in patients hospitalized in the Hematology Research Center under the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation are presented. From 2004 till 2014, 76 biopsies of lung and/or parietal pleura were performed in 73 patients aged 19–77 years via thoracoscopic (48) and/or thoracotomic (28) approach. Results. No thoracoscopy- and thoracotomy-related complications were observed. Bioptate examinations proved to be informative in 66 (86.7%) patients. Lung lesions were most common in lymphoproliferative diseases. Lung involvement in cancer or metastases was twice as common as it has been expected before the biopsy. On the contrary, expected tuberculosis nature of lung lesions in 5 patients was confirmed only in 2 of them. In 18 cases (23.7 %), the cause of lung lesion was other than the expected one, and appropriate adjustments of the therapy were made. Conclusion. New less invasive methods of biopsy combined with complex laboratory diagnosing comply with current requirements and permit making a correct diagnosis of a pathological process located in lungs.