Benign tumors of the lung: a 20-year surgical experience.

In the following report, we describe our investigation of the diagnosis and operative methods for benign tumors of the lung, in which the surgical treatment was selected due to suspicious malignancy. This study included 22 patients with benign tumors. The patients' mean age was 55 years old. The histological diagnosis was made postoperatively prior to 1985 and intraoperatively after 1986. Hamartoma was the most common of the benign tumors. In benign tumors, the preoperative diagnosis was almost the same as the postoperative one. Of the patients with benign tumors, 78% underwent lobectomy or segmentectomy prior to 1985, and none have undergone any invasive procedures since 1986. Malignant tumors are sometimes difficult to distinguish from benign tumors preoperatively. Therefore, intraoperative histological examinations are necessary in cases in which malignancy is suspected. In such cases, a smaller invasive procedure should be selected due to the possibility of the tumor being benign.