Frozen Section Diagnosis Research Articles

Will Adding Michel’s Solution to the Laboratory Reagents do Any Good for the Neuropathologists?

<p>The importance of intraoperative consultation through frozen sections can hardly be over-emphasized. The overall accuracy of frozen section diagnosis falls within the range of 92% to 97.98%; however, in brain tissues, the diagnostic accuracy is debatable, considering the artifacts due to ice crystal formation, crushing, and overstretching resulting in impaired histomorphology. On the other hand, reliance on immunohistochemistry on a frozen brain section is even more challenging because of reported interpretational problems. Hence, preserving the histomorphology of brain tissues and optimizing preanalytical variables is crucial for the accurate diagnosis of the patients.</p>

Diagnostic accuracy of frozen section biopsy for early gastric cancer extent during endoscopic submucosal dissection: a prospective study

BackgroundAccurate diagnosis of the lateral extent of early gastric cancer during endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is crucial to achieve negative resection margins. Similar to intraoperative consultation with a frozen section in surgery, rapid frozen section diagnosis with endoscopic forceps biopsy may be useful in assessing tumor margins during ESD. This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of frozen section biopsy.MethodsWe prospectively enrolled 32 patients undergoing ESD for early gastric cancer. Biopsy samples for the frozen sections were randomly collected from fresh resected ESD specimens before formalin fixation. Two different pathologists independently diagnosed 130 frozen sections as “neoplasia,” “negative for neoplasia,” or “indefinite for neoplasia,” and the frozen section diagnosis was compared with the final pathological results of the ESD specimens.ResultsAmong the 130 frozen sections, 35 were from cancerous areas, and 95 were from non-cancerous areas. The diagnostic accuracies of the frozen section biopsies by the two pathologists were 98.5 and 94.6%, respectively. Cohen’s kappa coefficient of diagnoses by the two pathologists was 0.851 (95% confidence interval: 0.837–0.864). Incorrect diagnoses resulted from freezing artifacts, a small volume of tissue, inflammation, the presence of well-differentiated adenocarcinoma with mild nuclear atypia, and/or tissue damage during ESD.ConclusionsPathological diagnosis of frozen section biopsy is reliable and can be applied as a rapid frozen section diagnosis for evaluating the lateral margins of early gastric cancer during ESD.

Diagnostic Study of Multi-spectral Intelligent Analyzer in Diagnosis of the Infiltration Degree of Lung Adenocarcinoma

Lung cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors in the world. The accuracy of intraoperative frozen section (FS) in the diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma infiltration cannot fully meet the clinical needs. The aim of this study is to explore the possibility of improving the diagnostic efficiency of FS in lung adenocarcinoma by using the original multi-spectral intelligent analyzer. Patients with pulmonary nodules who underwent surgery in the Department of Thoracic Surgery, Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University from January 2021 to December 2022 were included in the study. The multispectral information of pulmonary nodule tissues and surrounding normal tissues were collected. A neural network model was established and the accuracy of the neural network diagnostic model was verified clinically. A total of 223 samples were collected in this study, 156 samples of primary lung adenocarcinoma were finally included, and a total of 1,560 sets of multispectral data were collected. The area under the curve (AUC) of spectral diagnosis in the test set (10% of the first 116 cases) of the neural network model was 0.955 (95%CI: 0.909-1.000, P<0.05), and the diagnostic accuracy was 95.69%. In the clinical validation group (the last 40 cases), the accuracy of spectral diagnosis and FS diagnosis were both 67.50% (27/40), and the AUC of the combination of the two was 0.949 (95%CI: 0.878-1.000, P<0.05), and the accuracy was 95.00% (38/40). The accuracy of the original multi-spectral intelligent analyzer in the diagnosis of lung invasive adenocarcinoma and non-invasive adenocarcinoma is equivalent to that of FS. The application of the original multi-spectral intelligent analyzer in the diagnosis of FS can improve the diagnostic accuracy and reduce the complexity of intraoperative lung cancer surgery plan. .

DESCRIPTIVE STUDY OF SENTINEL LYMPH NODES /AXILLARY SAMPLING ON FROZEN SECTION IN CASES OF CARCINOMA OF BREAST

Background: The frozen section provides rapid diagnosis to guide intra or perioperative patient management. Intraoperative frozen sections of sentinel lymph nodes can be used to identify metastatic disease, allowing immediate axillary lymph node dissection. To Study Sentinel Aims: Lymph node /Axillary Sampling on Frozen Section in Cases of Carcinoma of the Breast and to assess the accuracy of frozen section diagnosis. Materials and Methods: - An observational descriptive study was carried out in the department of pathology. A total of 33 patients were evaluated during January 2021 to July 2022. SLNs were examined using standard frozen section procedure and sections were stained with rapid H &amp;E. Patients with positive SLN on FS underwent ALND. The remaining frozen tissue was processed for routine histopathology processing. Results: - Out of 33 cases, 9 (27.27%) cases are positive on the frozen section and 24 (72.72 %) cases are negative on the frozen section. However, on the parafn section, 14 (42.42%) cases are positive and 19 (57.57 %) are negative. There was no false positive case (specicity-100%). 14 cases show tumour deposit in sentinel lymph node. 13 cases had macro-metastatic tumour deposit and 01 case shows micro-metastatic tumour deposit. The diagnostic accuracy is 84.84% and sensitivity 64.28%. Intraoperative frozen section diagnosi Conclusions: - s of sentinel lymph nodes in cases of carcinoma of breast can identify metastatic disease, allowing immediate axillary dissection, if necessary, thus avoiding the need for reoperation. Arm and shoulder morbidity caused by axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) can be avoided in cases where it was not indicated on frozen section.

Treatment for secondary hyperparathyroidism focusing on parathyroidectomy.

Secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT) is a major problem for patients with chronic kidney disease and can cause many complications, including osteodystrophy, fractures, and cardiovascular diseases. Treatment for SHPT has changed radically with the advent of calcimimetics; however, parathyroidectomy (PTx) remains one of the most important treatments. For successful PTx, removing all parathyroid glands (PTGs) without complications is essential to prevent persistent or recurrent SHPT. Preoperative imaging studies for the localization of PTGs, such as ultrasonography, computed tomography, and 99mTc-Sestamibi scintigraphy, and intraoperative evaluation methods to confirm the removal of all PTGs, including, intraoperative intact parathyroid hormone monitoring and frozen section diagnosis, are useful. Functional and anatomical preservation of the recurrent laryngeal nerves can be confirmed via intraoperative nerve monitoring. Total or subtotal PTx with or without transcervical thymectomy and autotransplantation can also be performed. Appropriate operative methods for PTx should be selected according to the patients' need for kidney transplantation. In the case of persistent or recurrent SHPT after the initial PTx, localization of the causative PTGs with autotransplantation is challenging as causative PTGs can exist in the neck, mediastinum, or autotransplanted areas. Additionally, the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of calcimimetics and PTx are increasingly being discussed. In this review, medical and surgical treatments for SHPT are described.

Real-Time Telepathology Is Substantially Equivalent to In-Person Intraoperative Frozen Section Diagnosis.

Intraoperative diagnosis by frozen section is a mainstay of surgical pathology practice, providing immediate feedback to the surgical team. Despite good accuracy with modern methods, access to intraoperative surgical pathology with an appropriate turnaround time (TAT) has been a limiting factor for small or remote surgical centers, with negative impacts on cost and patient care. Telepathology offers immediate expert anatomic pathology consultation to sites without an in-house or subspecialized pathologist. To assess the utility of live telepathology in frozen section practice. Frozen section diagnoses by telemicroscopy from 2 tertiary care centers with a combined 3 satellite hospitals were queried for anatomic site, TAT per block, pathologist, and concordance with paraffin diagnosis. TAT and concordance were compared to glass diagnoses in the same period. For 748 intraoperative diagnoses by telemicroscopy, 694 had TATs with a mean of 18 minutes 56 seconds ± 8 minutes 45 seconds, which was slower than on glass (14 minutes 25 seconds ± 7 minutes 8 seconds, P < .001). Twenty-two (2.89% of available) were discordant, which was not significantly different from the on-glass rate (P = .44) or categorical distribution (P = .31). Two cases (0.27%) had technical failures. Although in-person diagnoses were statistically faster, the great majority of telemicroscopic diagnoses were returned in less than 20 minutes. This remained true through numerous pathologists, pathology assistants and/or technicians, different hospitals, and during a combined 6 years. The concentration of discordant diagnoses among relatively few pathologists suggests individual comfort with telepathology and/or frozen section diagnosis. In rare cases, technical issues prevented telemicroscopic diagnosis. Overall, this justifies continued use and expansion of telemicroscopic services in primary intraoperative diagnoses.

Concordance of Frozen Section Diagnosis of Epithelial Ovarian Neoplasm and Discussing the Diagnostic Pitfalls: An Institutional Experience.

Background Ovarian neoplasm is the third most common malignancy in Indian women. Intraoperative diagnosis becomes the critical guiding tool for the surgeons to take the decisions on the extent of surgery specially when preserving fertility has to be considered. Aims and Objective The aim of this study is to evaluate the concordance of intraoperative diagnosis of frozen section (IFS) of ovarian epithelial neoplasm at our institute and to review and discuss the diagnostic pitfalls along with the review of literature. Materials and Methods Data were archived from departmental record and the detailed clinical data of the patients were retrieved from hospital record system. The discordant cases were reviewed again in an attempt to address the pitfalls. Statistical Analysis Diagnostic accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive value of IFS of ovarian neoplasm were analyzed. Results The overall frozen section diagnosis was concordant with final histopathology in 36 out of 44 cases (81%). The sensitivity of IFS diagnosis was found to be 100% for benign and borderline tumors, whereas 88.9% for malignant epithelial tumors, but the correctness of diagnosis is high only for benign and malignant tumors (high positive predictive value) in compared with borderline ones. The diagnostic pitfalls were identified individually in discordant cases. Conclusion An accurate interpretation of IFS in ovarian epithelial malignancy can be achieved in benign and malignant cases, but limited in borderline tumors. Awareness of the artifacts and the limitations in mind and the IFS diagnosis can be of great help for proper management of the ovarian neoplasm.

Frozen sections accurately predict the IASLC proposed grading system and prognosis in patients with invasive lung adenocarcinomas

IntroductionThe International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) newly proposed grading system for lung adenocarcinomas (ADC) has been shown to be of prognostic significance. Hence, intraoperative consultation for the grading system was important regarding the surgical decision-making. Here, we evaluated the accuracy and interobserver agreement for IASLC grading system on frozen section (FS), and further investigated the prognostic performance. MethodsFS and final pathology (FP) slides were reviewed by three pathologists for tumor grading in 373 stage I lung ADC following surgical resection from January to June 2013 (retrospective cohort). A prospective multicenter cohort (January to June 2021, n = 212) were included to confirm the results. ResultsThe overall concordance rates between FS and FP were 79.1% (κ = 0.650) and 89.6% (κ = 0.729) with substantial agreement in retrospective and prospective cohorts, respectively. Presence of complex gland was the only independent predictor of discrepancy between FS and FP (presence versus. absence: odds ratio, 2.193; P = 0.015). The interobserver agreement for IASLC grading system on FS among three pathologists were satisfactory (κ = 0.672 for retrospective cohort; κ = 0.752 for prospective cohort). Moreover, the IASLC grading system by FS diagnosis could well predict recurrence-free survival and overall survival for patients with stage I invasive lung ADC. ConclusionsOur results suggest that FS had high diagnostic accuracy and satisfactory interobserver agreement for IASLC grading system. Future prospective studies are merited to validate the feasibility of using FS to match patients into appropriate surgical type.

Role of Frozen Sections in Diagnosing Female Genital Tract Lesions: A Tertiary Centre Study in Chennai, India

Introduction: Female Genital Tract (FGT) malignancies are common with ovarian cancers having high incidence and mortality. The asymptomatic character, difficult location and lack of effective screening methods make Intraoperative Frozen Section (IFS) an effective diagnostic test to guide the surgical decisions. Aim: To assess the performance of IFS, describe the associated demographic, clinicopathological factors and identify the errors leading to discordance when compared with Permanent Section (PS). Materials and Methods: A retrospective study of all the consecutive IFS consultations related to FGT lesions received in the Pathology Department between January 2013 to June 2022 was conducted between July 2022 to September 2022 at ESIC Medical College and Hospital, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Cases with IFS deferred until PS section were excluded. The FS and PS reports, demographic, clinicopathological data, Risk of Malignancy Index (RMI), imaging and biochemical records were retrieved. In-depth descriptive analysis of clinicopathological parameters as frequency and percentage, frequency distribution of PS diagnosis, concordant and discordant categorisation, reasons for the discordance were described and the diagnostic accuracy of Frozen Section (FS) tool was calculated. Mean, Frequency (n) and percentage (%) analysis was done for the complete collected data. Results: Out of the total 35 FGT related IFS consultations received, 32 (91.43%) was for Ovarian Tumours (OT), which included 26 surface epithelial tumours, three sex cord stromal tumours, two germ cell tumours, one Krukenberg tumour. Two cases were deferred due to extensive haemorrhage and infarction. Confirmation of the diagnosis was the most common indication. The mean size of the OT (n=32) was 13 cm and ranged from 2 to 31 cm. RMI was low (&lt;25) in 14 (44%, n=32), intermediate (25-250) in 10 (31%, n=32) and high (&gt;250) in 8 (25%, n=32) of OT. The diagnostic accuracy of FS of all the FGT cases (n=35) was 85.71% (n=35 FGT cases) with an error rate of 14.29% was observed. Five OT cases had discordant FS diagnosis, 3 cases due to sampling error and mis-interpretation error in the remaining 2 cases. Artefacts like poor morphology due to tissue freezing, nucleomegaly, poor sectioning and section folding were observed in the discordant cases. Conclusions: Correct use of IFS along with careful preoperative work-up will help the surgeon intraoperatively. A good rapport among clinicians, pathologists and laboratory personnel will aid to improve the diagnostic accuracy. Periodic assessment of IFS tool is necessary as a quality check.

Challenges in clinical, imaging, and intraoperative frozen-section diagnosis of ovarian cancer

Ovarian cancer (OC) ranks 8th among cancers in women. It is a non-visualizable, non-screenable cancer with late onset of symptoms and diagnosis, which translates into low recurrence-free and overall survival rates. The 5-year survival decreases as the OC stage increases. The World Health Organization has predicted a 47 % increase in the OC incidence by 2040 to approximately 434,000 newly diagnosed cases and an annual 59 % increase in OC mortality (up to 293,000 cases). There are several difficulties in the current clinical, imaging, and intraoperative frozen-section diagnosis of OC. Patients seek medical attention when the disease has reached the advanced stage. However, specific treatment often starts late due to a long time between the first patient-physician contact and the histological verification of the diagnosis. It is vital to know the limitations and complexities of diagnostic tools, overcome them in routine practice, and use an interdisciplinary approach to the evaluation of their findings. Goal: to review the difficulties in making clinical, imaging, and intraoperative frozen-section diagnosis of OC based on Russian and worldwide literature data.Materials and methods: articles focused on the diagnostic modalities for OC that had been published in the PubMed, Cochrane Library, and eLIBRARY databases over the past 15 years were reviewed. The review outlines the limitations and difficulties in making clinical, imaging, and intraoperative frozen-section diagnosis of OC based on data from international publications and experience of gynecological oncologists and pathologists of the Chelyabinsk Regional Clinical Center of Oncology and Nuclear Medicine.

Dissecting Diagnostic Discrepancies between Intraoperative and Permanent Head and Neck Pathology Sections at a Large University Medical Center

Abstract Introduction/Objective Accurate correlation between intraoperative frozen section (FS) and subsequent permanent section (PS) diagnoses is essential for quality patient care. Intraoperative FS is used for confirmation of diagnoses and margin status (MS) evaluation in head and neck (H&amp;N) pathology. Reported FS-PS discrepancy rates for H&amp;N cases range between 1.42% to 1.80%, mostly due to sampling and interpretation errors. We sought to review our experience with FS and concordant PS from H&amp;N pathology cases diagnosed at a high volume, university medical center. Methods/Case Report Correlation was performed between intraoperative FS and paraffin-embedded PS of H&amp;N surgical resections between January 2019 to December 2021. FS-PS discrepancies were classified due to “sampling” or “interpretation”. Recurrence rates based on a 2 year follow up period of 2019 cases was also recorded. Results (if a Case Study enter NA) 2337 H&amp;N cases yielded 11108 intraoperative FS diagnoses. FS-PS correlation identified 142 (1.27%) discrepancies. Of these, 85 (60%) were for MS control, comprised of 45 (53%) due to “sampling” and 40 (47%) to “interpretation”. FS slides generally represented a single top section taken from the tissue, with “sampling” discrepancies due to discordant diagnoses identified on a deeper cut of tissue on the PS slides. Common “interpretative” discrepancies included overlooking high-grade dysplasia. For patients diagnosed in 2019, we found that 6% of discrepant cases of locoregional disease over a 2 year follow up period were due to inadequate margin control. Conclusion Our institutional intraoperative FS-PS discrepancy rate for H&amp;N pathology cases is 1.27%, and within the national quality standards. Our FS-PS discrepancy rate for H&amp;N cases related to MS control were mostly due to “sampling". Intraoperative review of deeper cuts of FS tissue and in service instruction for pathologists regarding intraoperative reporting of high-grade dysplasia will be the subject of a prospective study for potential improvement of “sampling” and “interpretative” discrepancies, respectively. Future studies hope to minimize the cases of locoregional occurence due to inadequate margin status.

Intraoperative intact parathyroid hormone monitoring and frozen section diagnosis are essential for successful parathyroidectomy in secondary hyperparathyroidism.

Total parathyroidectomy (PTx) is often performed to treat secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT). Successful PTx is essential to prevent recurrent and persistent SHPT because remnant parathyroid glands (PTGs) in the neck can be stimulated and may secrete excessive parathyroid hormone (PTH) in end-stage renal disease. However, to date, few studies have investigated factors contributing to successful PTx before the completion of surgery. Between August 2010 and February 2020, 344 patients underwent total PTx, transcervical thymectomy, and forearm autograft for SHPT at our institute. Factors contributing to successful PTx before the completion of surgery were investigated. Preoperative imaging diagnoses, including computed tomography, ultrasonography, technetium-99m methoxyisobutylisonitrile (99mTc-MIBI) scintigraphy, intraoperative intact PTH (IOIPTH) monitoring, and frozen section histologic diagnosis, were performed. Successful PTx was defined as intact PTH level < 60 pg/mL on postoperative day 1. A sufficient decrease in IOIPTH level was defined as > 70% decrease in intact PTH levels measured 10 min after total PTx and transcervical thymectomy compared to intact PTH levels measured before skin incision. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to investigate factors contributing to PTx success. Univariate analysis showed that the number of all PTGs identified preoperatively by imaging modalities and the specimens submitted for frozen section diagnosis, which surgeon presumed to be PTGs, were not significant factors contributing to successful PTx. However, multivariate analysis revealed that the number of PTGs identified by frozen section diagnosis (P < 0.001, odds ratio [OR] 4.356, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.499-7.592) and sufficient decrease in IOIPTH levels (P = 0.001, OR 7.847, 95% CI 2.443-25.204) significantly contributed to successful PTx. Sufficient intact PTH level decrease observed on IOIPTH monitoring and the number of PTGs identified by frozen section diagnosis contributed to successful PTx for SHPT. IOIPTH monitoring and frozen section diagnosis are essential for achieving successful PTx for SHPT.

Intraoperative cytology when cryostat is not available. A 7-year experience in a Peruvian cancer center.

Intraoperative cytology (IC) is an alternative to frozen-section (FS) diagnosis. We present our experience with and the diagnostic value of IC during a 7-year period when FS was not available in a Peruvian Cancer Center. This 7-year retrospective single-arm review study includes IC procedures performed by three pathologists between 2012 and 2018. These IC reports were reviewed independently by one pathologist and were correlated with the histologic diagnoses, which were used as the gold standard. All IC preparations (imprint, scrape, and crush smears) were stained with hematoxylin and eosin. IC interpretations were categorized as: malignant, benign, atypical, and "deferred to permanent sections." Sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values were calculated by use of standard methods. A total of 1814 IC cases prepared from various organs obtained from 887 patients were reviewed. Malignant, benign, atypical, and "deferred to permanent sections" IC diagnoses were 26.3%, 68.9%, 3.7%, and 1.9%, respectively. Atypical and deferred cases were excluded from the statistical analysis; thus 1712 cases were found to be eligible. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and overall diagnostic accuracy were 91.6%, 97.7%, 94.1%, 96.7%, and 96%, respectively. In experienced hands, IC is a rapid, cost-effective, and accurate alternative diagnostic modality for intraoperative diagnosis when FS is not available.

A Quantitative and Qualitative Assessment of Frozen Section Diagnosis Accuracy and Deferral Rate Across Organ Systems.

Monitoring of frozen section diagnostic performance provides an important quality improvement measure. Surgical specimens involving a frozen section diagnosis over a 3-year period were retrospectively reviewed. Glass slides were reviewed on cases with discordance. Discordance and deferral rates were calculated. Of 3,675 frozen section diagnoses included, 96 (2.7%) were discordant with the final diagnosis. Additionally, 114 frozen section diagnoses (3.1%) were deferred. The organ-specific discordance rates were lowest in breast and genitourinary specimens and highest for pancreas, lymph node, and gynecologic specimens. Deferral rates were highest in musculoskeletal, breast, and hepatobiliary cases and lowest in thyroid, parathyroid, and neuropathology cases. Discordance was explained by block-sampling error (45%), specimen-sampling error (27%), or interpretation error (27%). Discordant frozen section diagnoses from gynecologic specimens were responsible for 81% of specimen-sampling errors; frozen section diagnoses of lymph nodes, head and neck, and pancreas were responsible for 54% of interpretation errors; 51% of block-sampling errors involved lymph node evaluation for metastatic carcinoma. Careful gross evaluation and microscopic examination of multiple levels should minimize specimen-sampling error and block-sampling error, respectively. Periodic review of accuracy and deferral rates may help reduce errors and improve the overall performance of this essential procedure.

Frozen Section Evaluation for Surgical Margins in Laryngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma: Is it a Reliable Method for Partial and Total Laryngectomies?

In this study, we aimed to compare the accuracy of frozen section evaluation in partial and total laryngectomies performed to treat laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma . A retrospective study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and accuracy of frozen section analysis for laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma of 65 patients, operated at a tertiary hospital. Two groups were recruited according to the surgical procedure. The sensitivity and specificity of frozen section diagnosis in laryngeal cancer were 20% and 99.73%, respectively. For partial laryngectomy, the sensitivity was 16.66% and specificity was 100%. For total laryngectomy, sensitivity was 22.2% and specificity 99.13%. Discordances between the initial frozen section diagnosis and the subsequent permanent section diagnosis were found in 13 (3.35%) pairs (3.37% partial laryngectomy and 3.33% total laryngectomy). Our study shows that the surgical method applied has no effect on discordances. However, sampling errors are likely to be more common in partial laryngectomy procedures. It should be kept in mind that the sensitivity of frozen section evaluation is low.

P05.03.B Application of rapid cytology in intraoperative diagnosis of primary central nervous system lymphoma

Abstract Background To assesment the value of rapid cytological diagnosis in primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) surgery. Material and Methods A total of 213 PCNSL specimens from the First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University between 2012 to 2022 were included, 1-2mm3 was taken from the tissues diagnosed for intraoperative pathology and made into cell smears, rapid cytological diagnosis was performed after 95% ethanol fixation and H&amp;E staining, most of the remaining tissues were diagnosed by frozen section. With the results of paraffin section pathological diagnosis as the control standard, compared the accuracy of rapid cytology and frozen tissue section and their combined diagnosis. Results Cytological smears can reveal microscopic structures within the cells under a microscope, furthermore, it can avoid the formation of artifacts or deformation of cells when frozen due to excessive water in brain tissue. Compared with paraffin section pathological diagnosis, the diagnostic accuracy of rapid cytology was 151cases (70.89%) , that of frozen tissue section was 175 cases (82.16%) , and that of the combination of the two methods was 187 cases (87.79%) . There were 26 cases (12.21%) in which neither method could give a definite conclusion intraoperatively and only depended on the results of paraffin tissue sections. Conclusion Rapid cytology alone is less accurate in diagnosing PCNSL than frozen sections alone. However, the combination of the two diagnosis can improve the accuracy of intraoperative diagnosis of PCNSL and correct some errors that may occur when only relying on frozen section diagnosis. It is especially suitable for stereotactic biopsy surgery or cases with very little tissue, as well as primary medical units without frozen section machine and other equipment.

Assessing the Agreement Between Preoperative Fine-Needle Aspiration Cytology (FNAC) Done for Major Salivary Gland Neoplasm When Reported by Head and Neck Pathologists and Non-head and Neck Pathologists with Its Final Histopathology.

The preoperative FNA is an important investigation in the workup of a salivary gland pathology. A preoperative diagnosis is important to plan management and counsel patients accordingly. In this study, we aimed to assess the agreement between the preoperative FNA and the final histopathology report when reported by a head and neck and a non-head and neck pathologist. All patients with major salivary gland neoplasm having undergone a preoperative FNA before surgery from January 2012 to December 2019 at our hospital were included in the study. Analysis was done to check for concordance between head and neck and non-head and neck pathologists of the preoperative FNA and final histopathology. Three hundred and twenty-five patients were included in the study. The preoperative FNA could identify the tumour as benign or malignant in the majority (n = 228, 70.1%). The agreement between the preoperative FNA, frozen section diagnosis and the reporting of grade in the frozen section and the final HPR was slightly better with the head and neck pathologist (kappa = 0.429, kappa = 0.698 and kappa = 0.257), respectively, than with the non-head and neck pathologist (kappa = 0.387, kappa = 0.519 and kappa = 0.158), all of which was statistically significant (p < 0.001). The diagnosis made with the preoperative FNA and reporting in the frozen section had a fair agreement with the final histopathology when reported by a head and neck pathologist in comparison to a non-head and neck pathologist.

Intraoperative sentinel lymph node evaluation in patients with node-positive breast cancer status post neoadjuvant systemic therapy - An institutional experience

Recent studies have shown the feasibility and utility of sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy in patients with biopsy proven node-positive breast cancer after neoadjuvant chemotherapy. We reviewed our experience in intraoperative SLN evaluation in such cases and its effect on axillary management. A retrospective analysis of breast cancer patients (2015–2018) with a biopsy-proven positive axillary lymph node, who received neoadjuvant systemic therapy and underwent intraoperative SLN assessment was performed. Intraoperative SLN assessment results were compared with final pathology. Its accuracy and effect on axillary management is summarized. We identified 106 patients with positive axillary lymph node and neoadjuvant systemic therapy between the ages of 28 and 75 years who had SLN biopsy and lumpectomy (33) or mastectomy (73). Three or more SLNs were identified in 91 cases (86 %). The previously biopsied lymph node was identified as one of the sentinel lymph nodes in 93 cases (88 %). There is a high concordance rate between frozen section diagnosis and final diagnosis on sentinel lymph nodes. No false positive case and seven false negative frozen section diagnosis cases (diagnosed as negative on frozen section and positive on permanent sections) were identified. False-negative frozen section diagnosis correlated with low-volume nodal disease and obscuring tumor bed changes. Almost half of the positive lymph nodes were converted to negative after neoadjuvant chemotherapy. SLN biopsy with intraoperative frozen section evaluation after neoadjuvant systemic therapy in node-positive patients is an effective way to minimize axillary surgery.

Utility of frozen section in pediatric and adolescent malignant ovarian nonseminomatous germ cell tumors: A report from the children's oncology group

PurposeIn adult women, most malignant ovarian tumors are epithelial in origin. The use of intra-operative frozen section to distinguish between benign and malignant histology is reliable in guiding operative decision-making to determine the extent of surgical staging required. Pediatric and adolescent patients with ovarian masses have a much different spectrum of pathology with most tumors arising from germ cell precursors. This review was undertaken to assess the concordance between the intra-operative frozen section and the final diagnosis as an aid to guide extent of surgical staging in a group of pediatric and adolescent patients with malignant ovarian germ cell tumors. MethodsRecords of patients aged 0 to 20 years with malignant ovarian germ cell tumors enrolled on Children's Oncology Group study AGCT0132 were reviewed. Pathology reports from patients who had both intra-operative frozen section diagnosis and final paraffin section diagnosis were compared using descriptive statistics. By inclusion criteria for the study, all patients had a final diagnosis of malignancy with required yolk sac tumor, choriocarcinoma or embryonal carcinoma histology. Available central review of pathology final paraffin section slides were compared with final institution pathology reports. ResultsOf 131 eligible patients with ovarian germ cell tumors, 60 (45.8%) had both intra-operative frozen section and final paraffin section diagnoses available. Intra-operative frozen section diagnoses were classified as: incorrect diagnosis of benign tumor (13.3%), confirmation of malignancy (61.7%), immature teratoma (16.7%), germ cell tumor not otherwise specified (5%) and no diagnosis provided (3.3%). Intra-operative frozen section was incorrect in 23 of 60 (38.3%) patients evaluated. Central pathology review was concordant with the final institution pathology diagnosis in 76.3% of patients. Central pathology review identified additional germ cell tumor components in 23.7% of patients. ConclusionsIn pediatric and adolescent patients with a confirmed final diagnosis of ovarian germ cell malignancy, intra-operative frozen section diagnosis is not reliable to inform the extent of surgical staging required. Central review by an expert germ cell tumor pathologist provides important additional information to guide therapy.

Validation of whole slide imaging for frozen section diagnosis of lymph node metastasis: A retrospective study from a tertiary care hospital in Thailand

BackgroundThe use of whole slide imaging (WSI) for frozen section (FS) diagnosis is helpful, particularly in the context of pathologist shortages. However, there is minimal data on such usage in resource-limited settings. This study aims to validate the use of WSI for FS diagnosis of lymph node metastasis using a low-cost virtual microscope scanner with consumer-grade laptops at a tertiary care hospital in Thailand. MethodsFS slides were retrieved for which the clinical query was to evaluate lymph node metastasis. They were digitized by a virtual microscope scanner (MoticEasyScan, Hong Kong) using up to 40× optical magnification. Three observers with different pathology experience levels diagnosed each slide, reviewing glass slides (GS) followed by digital slides (DS) after two weeks of a wash out period. WSI and GS diagnoses were compared. The time used for scanning and diagnosis of each slide was recorded. Results295 FS slides were retrieved and digitized. The first-time successful scanning rate was 93.6 %. The mean scanning time was 2 min per slide. Both intraobserver agreement and interobserver agreement of WSI and GS diagnoses were high (Cohen's K; kappa value >0.84). The time used for DS diagnosis decreased as the observer's experience with WSI increased. ConclusionsDespite varying pathological experiences, observers using WSI provided accurate FS diagnoses of lymph node metastasis. The time required for DS diagnoses decreased with additional observer's experience with WSI. Therefore, a WSI system containing low-cost scanners and consumer-grade laptops could be used for FS services in hospital laboratories lacking pathologists.