CLINICOPATHOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF BENIGN AND MALIGNANT LESIONS OF UPPER RESPIRATORY TRACT FROM 2006 TO 2016 IN YAZD, IRAN (A DESCRIPTIVE-ANALYTICAL STUDY)

Background & Aim: Timely diagnosis and differentiation of benign and malignant tumors of the upper respiratory tract can be effectual on more effective treatment and increase the quality of life of the patients. Therefore, in this study we investigated the clinicopathological characteristics of the upper respiratory tract lesions during the years 2006 to 2016 in Shahid Sadoughi Hospital, Yazd, Iran. Materials & Methods: This descriptive, analytical and retrospective study was conducted by using the census method. The information of the patients who were diagnosed with a lesion of the upper respiratory tract and underwent biopsy and included the variables of age, sex, anatomical location, clinical symptoms, and pathology reports were extracted from their files and entered into a pre-prepared checklist. The information then entered into SPSS version 21 software were analyzed with the necessary statistical tests. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Out of 2141 cases examined, 1715 cases (80.1%) were benign and 426 (19.9%) were malignant lesions. 1500 samples (70%) were related to male and 641 samples (30%) were related to female patients. There was a significant relationship between benign and malignant tumors of the upper respiratory tract with age, sex, and clinical symptoms as well as their site of involvement (P<0.05). Distribution of the frequency of malignant lesions was higher in older age and also in males. In terms of location of involvement, the most abundant malignant lesions were seen in the larynx area and the most abundant benign lesions were seen in the nasal area. The most common clinical symptom reported in benign lesions was nasal congestion, and in malignant lesions were voice violence and dysphagia. Conclusion: Based on this study, if a tumor, especially in the larynx, occurs in a male as well as in old age, its malignancy should be considered and fast acts must be done to diagnose and treat it.