Histopathological spectrum of gastrointestinal lesions - In a tertiary care centre

Gastrointestinal (GI) pathology is one of the largest sub- specialities in pathology. Histopathological evaluation of GI lesions is the gold standard for providing essential diagnostic and prognostic information to the clinicians for the best timely management of each patient. : This is an unicenter retrospective and prospective study of 510 patients with GI lesions over a period of 2 years from July 2021 to June 2023. Biopsies and resected specimens of gastrointestinal tract were fixed in 10% formalin. Those specimens were then processed in automatic tissue processor. Routine Haematoxylin and Eosin stain and special stains, including immunohistochemical stains were done, whenever indicated. Then slides were examined and data generated from observation and was used for statistical analysis. Out of total 2462 histopathological specimens received in 2 years, over 21% of specimens were GIT lesions of them 510 were GI specimens. Gall bladder was the most common specimen received 34.3% followed by appendix specimens 18.6% and gastric biopsies 13.9%. Non neoplastic GI lesions 89.3% were the most common followed by neoplastic lesions 10.7%. Males outnumbered female patients having M: F ratio1.3:1. The peak incidence of non neoplastic lesions are found in the age group of 21-40 years and that for neoplastic lesions found in the age group of 50-70 yrs. Chronic cholecystitis was the most common GI pathology 34.3% followed by appendicitis 18.1%. Adenocarcinoma was the most common histopathological malignancy 52.7% followed by squamous cell carcinoma 47.2%. Most common lesion in the oesophagus and oral cavity was squamous cell carcinoma whereas adenocarcinoma was most common in colo-rectum. This study enables the overview of the spectrum of histopathological lesion encountered in the surgical pathology department and also reiterates that the histopathological evaluation is a valuable diagnostic tool for definitive and early diagnosis of GI lesions which has an impact on management of neoplastic lesions.