Intraoperative Frozen Section Diagnosis Research Articles

Evaluation of the effect of intraoperative frozen section on overall timeliness and survival in lung cancer surgery

Background/Aim: We aimed to find out whether there is any delay in the management of the process in patients operated on for lung cancer and to understand the effect of intraoperative frozen section on this process.
 
 Methods: 176 patients were analyzed in total. The dates of admission, diagnosis, operation, and postoperative pathology results were noted. Five intervals were defined as time from first evaluation to diagnosis, first evaluation to surgery, diagnosis to surgery, first evaluation to the day of the postoperative pathology report, and diagnosis to the day of the postoperative pathology report.
 
 Results: The majority of patients (81.8%) were male, and the median age was 63 years (iqr = 11). The median time between the first assessment and the final pathological examination result was 62 days (iqr = 70). The time from initial presentation to surgery was significantly shorter (p 0.001), and the time from diagnosis to final pathology was also significantly shorter (p 0.001) in patients diagnosed by frozen section. However, there was no significant difference in the time from initial evaluation to diagnosis between the two groups (0.052). There was no significant difference in survival between patients diagnosed by freezing and patients diagnosed by other methods (p = 0.508).
 
 Conclusion: Solutions to increase the timeliness of care for patients with lung cancer can be designed with a better understanding of delays. Intraoperative frozen section diagnosis improves overall timeliness but has no effect on survival in lung cancer patients undergoing surgery.

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.

Evaluation of local recurrence after pancreaticoduodenectomy for borderline resectable pancreatic head cancer with neoadjuvant chemotherapy: Can the resection level change after chemotherapy?

BackgroundNeoadjuvant treatment has significant survival benefits for patients with pancreatic cancer. However, local recurrence remains a serious issue, even after neoadjuvant treatment. This study investigated local recurrence after pancreaticoduodenectomy and determined the optimal resection level after neoadjuvant treatment. MethodsThis retrospective study analyzed consecutive patients who underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy for borderline resectable pancreatic cancer after 4 cycles of neoadjuvant treatment-gemcitabine plus nab-paclitaxel between April 2015 and March 2020. Patients with borderline resectable-artery pancreatic cancer were classified according to the dissection level around the artery: level 3 group, hemi-, or whole circumferential arterial nerve plexus was dissected; and level 2 group, the nerve plexus was preserved. ResultsFifty-six patients with borderline resectable-artery pancreatic cancer underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy after neoadjuvant treatment (level 3 group, n = 40; level 2 group, n = 16). The resection level in the level 2 group was changed based on post-neoadjuvant treatment computed tomography images or intraoperative frozen section diagnosis. The overall and local recurrence rates were significantly higher in the level 2 group than in the level 3 group (overall recurrence, 93.8% vs 70.0%; P = .037) (local recurrence, 50.0% vs 5.0%; P < .001). Ten patients experienced local recurrence, of which 8 belonged to the level 2 group. Among them, 4 patients were confirmed as cancer-negative by surgical margin analysis or intraoperative frozen section diagnosis but experienced recurrence around the arteries. ConclusionFor treating borderline resectable-artery pancreatic cancer, changing the resection level based on post-neoadjuvant treatment computed tomography images increased the risk of local recurrence. All patients with borderline resectable-artery should undergo level 3 dissection, regardless of the response to neoadjuvant treatment.

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.

Comprehensive clinicopathological characteristics and mucin core protein expression profiles of bronchiolar adenoma.

Bronchiolar adenoma (BA) is a novel entity in the 2021 WHO classification of lung tumours. The expression profile of mucin core proteins in BAs is not clear. The aim of this study was to clarify the expression profiles of mucins and to validate the clinicopathologic and molecular features of BAs. We examined the clinicopathological, immunohistochemical, and molecular features of 20 BAs. Our cohort comprised 10 proximal and 10 distal BAs. Only seven of 18 patients (39%) were accurately diagnosed with BA at the time of intraoperative consultation. The frequent genetic alterations were BRAF V600E (35%) and KRAS (30%) mutations, which were mutually exclusive. The expression of MUC1, MUC4, and MUC5B was observed in all cases and that of MUC5AC and MUC6 was observed in nine (45%) and five (25%) cases, respectively. MUC4 was diffusely expressed in 18 cases. In contrast, MUC1, MUC5AC, MUC5B, and MUC6 displayed a patchy expression pattern. These expression patterns were similar to that of bronchiolar epithelium in normal lung tissue. In addition, overexpression of MUC1 and MUC4 on the entire cell surface was not observed in any of the BAs, suggesting their benign nature. BA commonly exhibits diffuse MUC4 and patchy MUC1 and MUC5B expression. Its unique expression pattern is probably attributed to mucin expression specific to the bronchiolar epithelium. These results confirm the clinicopathologic and molecular characteristics of BA, including the difficulty in intraoperative frozen section diagnosis and the broad morphologic spectrum of BA derived from the bronchiolar epithelium.

An Audit of Diagnostic Disparity between Intraoperative Frozen Section Diagnosis and Final Histopathological Diagnosis of Central Nervous System Lesions at a Tertiary Care Center.

Introduction Evaluation of intraoperative squash smear and frozen section (FS) in central nervous system (CNS) neoplasms is consistently practiced for rapid assessment and has several advantages to its credence. It is an invaluable tool to ensure adequacy of tissue obtained to establish the diagnosis. Moreover, it aids in guiding the surgeon for critical decisions regarding the extent of resection. Although molecular markers have been integrated with morphology in the revised 2016 World Health Organization classification of brain tumors, precise morphological assessment still remains the foundation for the diagnosis and rapid intraoperative assessment of morphological details is equally critical and rewarding. Objective This study aims to audit the diagnostic disparity between intraoperative diagnoses based on a combination of squash cytology and FS in cases of CNS lesions with gold standard, final diagnosis based on examination of formalin fixed paraffin embedded hematoxylin, and eosin-stained tissue sections. Materials and Methods All intraoperative squash cytology and FS reported for CNS lesions from January 2017 to December 2020 were reviewed. The cases were categorized into three groups-group 1: when diagnosis of intraoperative diagnosis based on a combination of squash cytology and FS was same as the final histopathological diagnosis (concordant), group 2: partially concordant, and group 3: discordant cases. Statistical Analysis Descriptive statistics was used to classify the data and diagnostic accuracy was calculated. Results Complete concordance was present in 69.96% (191/273) cases, 20.1% (55/273) cases showed partial concordance, and 9.89% (27/273) cases were discordant with histopathological diagnosis. Out of the 27 discordant cases, misclassification of tumor type was the most common category (11 cases, 40%), followed by grading mismatch (7 cases, 25.9%), and misdiagnosis of tumor versus nontumor conditions (9 cases, 33.3%). Conclusion Our study shows that combination of intraoperative squash cytology and FS shows a high percentage of accuracy in arriving at intraoperative diagnosis in cases of intracranial lesions. Regular audits of discordant cases should be conducted by surgeons and pathologists as part of a quality assurance measure to sensitize themselves with the potential pitfalls, minimizing misinterpretation and helping in providing a more conclusive opinion to the operating surgeons.

Endoscopic Extended Transsphenoidal Approach for Sellar and Suprasellar Xanthogranuloma: Potential Implications for Surgical Strategies in Adult Craniopharyngioma

Differentiation of suprasellar xanthogranuloma (XG) from adult craniopharyngioma (CP) can be problematic in endoscopic extended transsphenoidal surgery. We reviewed the clinical data, preoperative imaging, intraoperative endoscopic findings, and intraoperative frozen section pathology in newly diagnosed adult CPs (19 patients) and XGs (6 patients). Intracystic signal intensity was often high on T1-weighted magnetic resonance images in the XGs but low in the CPs (P= 0.015). Capsular intensity was low on T2-weighted imaging in XGs but iso to high in CPs (P < 0.001). Capsular gadolinium enhancement was often seen in CPs and not in XGs (P < 0.001). CPs often had a solid component with contrast enhancement but none in XGs (P < 0.001). Intraoperative endoscopic observations frequently found a whitish solid component in the CPs but yellow to brown fibrous granulomatous lesions in XGs (P < 0.001). The tumor capsule was dark grayish and soft in CPs, whereas it was fibrously hard in XGs (P= 0.002). Yellowish hemosiderin deposits were seen in all XGs (P= 0.003). Intraoperative pathologic diagnosis of CP was all verified whereas no evidence of tumor was found in XGs (P < 0.001). Partial removal was performed in 4 patients with XGs. No recurrence was observed in these patients during the follow-up period (1.5-8 years). Careful interpretation of preoperative magnetic resonance imaging, intraoperative endoscopic findings, and intraoperative frozen section diagnosis may be important for the differential diagnosis between XG and CP. In endoscopic-extended transsphenoidal surgery, intentional partial removal can be effective for XG after careful diagnosis.

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.

A Case of Carcinoma with Sebaceous Differentiation arising in the Patient who was Treated with Parotid Gland Adenocarcinoma

Sebaceous carcinoma is extremely rare in the parotid gland. Recently, we experienced a case of carcinoma with sebaceous differentiation arising from the parotid gland in patient who was diagnosed as parotid adenoma carcinoma and underwent total parotidectomy.&lt;/br&gt;A 73-year-old male visited our department for the evaluation of 3-month history of infra-auricular mass combined with pain. Radiologic finding showed lobulated enhancing and solid mass with calcification in the right parotid gland. Initially, total parotidectomy with supraomohyoid neck dissection was performed. Pathological findings showed capsulated whitish mass with hemorrhage and cystic degeneration. Immunohistochemically, CK7, CK5/6, p63 were positive and CEA was negative. The intra-operative frozen section diagnosis was mucoepidermoid carcinoma. The permanent diagnosis was changed to adenocarcinoma, NOS(not otherwise specified). Fourteen months later, the newly developed mass was noticed on the operation bed. The mass was clinically diagnosed as recurred adenocarcinoma. Revision parotidectomy was performed and pathological findings revealed that the tumor was newly developed sebaceous carcinoma. We report a case of carcinoma with sebaceous differentiation in parotid gland with a review of literature.

Ovarian tumor frozen section, a multidisciplinary affair

Background Ovarian Cancer (OC) constitute the eighth most common cancers among women worldwide. Surgery remains the cornerstone in the management of OC. Intraoperative frozen section (FS) diagnosis is widely used to decide the surgery course. We aimed to assess the reliability of intraoperative FS diagnosis for treatment planning of patients with suspected OC from a multidisciplinary perspective. The clinical consequences of reclassification and the multidisciplinary management of the therapy plan, is the secondary aim of this study. To our knowledge, this information is sparely investigated. Methods A single-center, retrospective population-based study of patients who underwent surgery for suspected OC between 2018 and 2020. Histopathological outcomes were classified as benign, borderline, or malignant. The FS diagnosis was the diagnostic test, and the final histopathology report was the gold standard. Diagnostic capability for treatment planning was assessed, and modifications made possible by overall clinical knowledge were discussed. Results A total of 358 patients were identified, of whom 187 were included in the FS group. Overall accuracy was 89.8%, and 19 patients were reclassified; the malignancy grade of 15 tumors was underestimated. Prevalence, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value for invasive malignancies on FS were 54.0% (CI 46.6–61.3%), 88.1% (CI 80.2–93.7%), 98.8% (CI 93.7–99.9%), 98.9% (CI 92.7–99.8%), and 87.6% (CI 80.6–92.4%), respectively. Tumors incorrectly graded by FS tended to be of borderline-related. Conclusions The reliability of the FS methodology was an accurate test to help perform appropriate surgery and plan swift oncological treatment. FS is a reliable method to diagnose invasive malignancies and benign pathology. The communication between the pathologist, surgeon, and medical oncologist is highly important for both intraoperative decision-making and postoperative patient care.

Collision brain tumor with atypical meningioma and glioblastoma: Case report.

IntroductionIntracranial collision tumors are rare diseases in which two distinct neoplasms are found at the same location. We present an unusual case of an intracranial collision tumor composed of atypical meningioma (WHO grade II) and glioblastoma.Presentation of caseThe case was a 56-year-old woman hospitalized due to generalized weakness and dizziness. Imaging survey revealed a right frontal lobe extra-axial mass with significant perilesional edema. The patient underwent a one-stage craniotomy for tumor removal. The pathology revealed collision brain tumors of clear cell atypical meningioma (WHO grade II) and glioblastoma. The patient had an uneventful postoperative recovery.Clinical discussionThe mechanism behind collision brain tumors remains unclear, and some experts consider these tumors sporadic events. Further research is needed to optimize preoperative diagnosis and surgical strategy for collision brain tumor patients.ConclusionSurgeon should consider intracranial collision tumors when brain image indicated unusual perilesional edema of meningioma. Though there is no standard treatment for these patients, it seems one-staged surgical treatment is feasible. To our knowledge this is the first case of collision tumors with clear cell atypical meningioma (WHO grade II) and glioblastoma.

Prediction of invasive adenocarcinomas manifesting as pure ground-glass nodules based on radiomic signature of low-dose CT in lung cancer screening.

To develop a radiomic model based on low-dose CT (LDCT) to distinguish invasive adenocarcinomas (IAs) from adenocarcinoma in situ/minimally invasive adenocarcinomas (AIS/MIAs) manifesting as pure ground-glass nodules (pGGNs) and compare its performance with conventional quantitative and semantic features of LDCT, radiomic model of standard-dose CT, and intraoperative frozen section (FS). A total of 147 consecutive pathologically confirmed pGGNs were divided into primary cohort (43 IAs and 60 AIS/MIAs) and validation cohort (19 IAs and 25 AIS/MIAs). Logistic regression models were built using conventional quantitative and semantic features, selected radiomic features of LDCT and standard-dose CT, and intraoperative FS diagnosis, respectively. The diagnostic performance was assessed by area under curve (AUC) of receiver operating characteristic curve, sensitivity, and specificity. The AUCs of quantitative-semantic model, radiomic model of LDCT, radiomic model of standard-dose CT, and FS model were 0.879 (95% CI, 0.801-0.935), 0.929 (95% CI, 0.862-0.971), 0.941 (95% CI, 0.876-0.978), and 0.884 (95% CI, 0.805-0.938) in the primary cohort and 0.897 (95% CI, 0.768-0.968), 0.933 (95% CI, 0.815-0.986), 0.901 (95% CI, 0.773-0.970), and 0.828 (95% CI, 0.685-0.925) in the validation cohort. No significant difference of the AUCs was found among these models in both the primary and validation cohorts (all p > 0.05). The LDCT-based quantitative-semantic score and radiomic signature, with good predictive performance, can be pre-operative and non-invasive biomarkers for assessing the invasive risk of pGGNs in lung cancer screening. The LDCT-based quantitative-semantic score and radiomic signature, with the equivalent performance to the radiomic model of standard-dose CT, can be pre-operative predictors for assessing the invasiveness of pGGNs in lung cancer screening and reducing excess examination and treatment.

A Study of Omitting the Intraoperative Frozen-section Diagnosis of Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy in Early Breast Cancer

A Study of Omitting the Intraoperative Frozen-section Diagnosis of Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy in Early Breast Cancer

Evaluation of a step-by-step approach to frozen section diagnosis in ovarian masses

Background: Ovarian cancer forms a significant proportion of cancer-related mortality in females. It is often detected late due to non-specific clinical presentation. Radiology and tumor markers may indicate an ovarian mass. However, exact diagnosis requires pathological evaluation, which may not be possible before surgery. Intraoperative frozen section (FS) is, therefore, an important modality for the diagnosis of ovarian masses. Aims and Objectives: This study was conducted to study step-by-step approach along with diagnostic utility and accuracy of intraoperative FS in diagnosis of ovarian masses. Materials and Methods: Retrospective comparative analysis was done to determine the diagnostic accuracy of FS as compared to routine histopathology in the pathology department of a tertiary care hospital. Diagnostic categorization was done into benign, borderline, and malignant. Overall accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of FS technique were calculated. Results: Out of 51 cases, FS analysis yielded accurate diagnosis in 94.1% of ovarian masses. Intraoperative FS had a sensitivity of 94.7%, specificity of 96.9%, 3.1% false-positive rate, and 5.3% false-negative rate in malignant tumors. In benign lesions, FS had 91.7% sensitivity and 100% specificity. FS had 75% sensitivity and 96.4% specificity in cases of borderline tumors. Conclusion: FS is a fairly accurate technique for intraoperative evaluation of ovarian masses. It can help in deciding the extent of surgery. It distinguishes benign and malignant tumors in most cases with high sensitivity and specificity. A methodical approach is useful in determining accurate diagnosis on FS diagnosis.

Prognostic Impact of Resection Margin Length in Patients Undergoing Resection for Mid-Common Bile Duct Cancer: A Single-Center Experience

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to analyze survival outcomes after segmental bile duct resection (BDR) for mid-common bile duct cancer according to the length of the tumor-free BDR margins. Method: A total of 133 consecutive patients underwent BDR for mid-bile duct cancers between December 2007 and June 2017. The Cox proportional hazard model was used to verify the cutoff value of the R0 resection margin. The patients were divided into 3 groups according to resection margin status (group 1; R0 resection margin ≥5 mm; group 2, R0 resection margin <5 mm; and group 3, R1 resection margin). Results: The median follow-up period of the study cohort was 24 months. A resection margin of 5 mm in length was verified to be suitable as a reliable cutoff value. The median disease-free and overall survival (OS) periods were 32 and 49 months in group 1, 13 and 20 months in group 2, and 23 and 30 months in group 3, respectively (p = 0.03 and p < 0.001). The length of the tumor-free resection margin (hazard ratio, 2.01; 95% confidence interval, 1.10–3.67; p = 0.022) was independent factor affecting OS. Conclusions: BDR for mid-bile duct cancer appears to be a feasible surgical option in selected patients with careful preoperative imaging assessment and intraoperative frozen-section diagnosis. Our results suggest achieving a BDR margin ≥5 mm to improve survival outcomes.

Feasibility of intraoperative diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma in situ to avoid excessive resection.

BackgroundLimited lung resection is generally believed to be available for lung adenocarcinoma in situ (AIS). At our institute, intraoperative hematoxylin-eosin staining of frozen-section slides is routinely performed for evaluating tumor invasiveness after partial resection to avoid excessive lung resection. This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility and usefulness of intraoperative frozen-section diagnosis of AIS.MethodsWe retrospectively reviewed 143 patients with 151 AISs diagnosed by intraoperative frozen sections between 2012 and 2019 at our institute. All patients underwent limited resection because of the result of intraoperative frozen-section diagnosis.ResultsThe total concordance rate between the diagnoses of AIS by intraoperative frozen sections and postoperative paraffin-embedded sections was 82.7% for 151 nodules. Although 21 minimally invasive adenocarcinomas (MIA) and 5 invasive adenocarcinomas were diagnosed as AIS intraoperatively, no patient had tumor recurrence after resection. Among 125 pathologically proven cases of AIS postoperatively, there were 67 (53.6%) radiologically invasive tumors including ground-glass nodules (GGNs) with part-solid component or pure-solid nodules.ConclusionsThis intraoperative evaluation of frozen-section slides will help surgeons avoid excessive lung resection for AIS that was radiologically diagnosed as invasive adenocarcinoma. Intraoperative frozen-section diagnosis will provide to be clinically useful and lead to less invasive surgical treatment for lung nodules.

Diagnostic Discrepancies Between Intraoperative Frozen Section and Permanent Histopathological Diagnosis of Brain Tumors.

Intraoperative frozen section (IOFS) diagnosis of brain tumors plays an important role in assessing the adequacy of the sample and determining the treatment plan. The aim of this study was to investigate the diagnostic accuracy between IOFS and permanent sections. The authors reviewed the histopathological results of 383 brain tumors, including IOFS and permanent histological diagnosis. The cases were classified into three diagnostic compatibilities (i) Perfect fit; the diagnosis of IOFS was identical to the permanent diagnosis, (ii) Partial compatibility; IOFS diagnosis was not incorrect but was too broad to be considered full compatibility, (iii) Conflict; IOFS diagnosis is completely different from the permanent diagnosis. The permanent diagnosis was used as a primary criterion and was compared to IOFS diagnosis and recurrence rate using different statistical methods. 84% of the patients underwent craniotomy and tumor resection, while 15% only underwent tumor biopsy. Approximately, 53.8 % of the cases revealed perfect matching in the diagnosis between IOFSs and permanent sections, while 16.2% of the cases revealed complete mismatching in the diagnosis between the sections. The remaining 30% of the cases showed partial compatibility in the diagnosis between the two diagnostic methods. There was no significant difference in recurrence rate among all cases of different diagnostic compatibility (p=0.54). There is a diagnostic discrepancy between IOFSs and permanent sections. However, cases that revealed no consensus in the diagnoses showed no negative effect on the patient outcome. Further studies should be conducted to explore the reasons of this conflict in the two diagnostic methods.

Metastatic Ovarian Tumor of Vulvar Malignant Melanoma in a 43-Year-Old Woman: A Case Report and Literature Review

An ovarian malignant melanoma sometimes occurs from ovarian teratoma. Ovarian metastatic malignant melanoma is extremely rare. We describe a patient in whom vulvar melanoma (previously resected) metastasized to the ovary, making ovarian metastatic malignant melanoma. A 43-year-old Japanese woman was referred to us because of left ovarian tumor. She had undergone resection for malignant melanoma on the right labia minora with inguinal lymph node metastasis (pT1bN1aM0, stage IIIA, FIGO 2008). Eighteen months after this surgery, CT scans revealed left ovarian tumor and swelled pelvic lymph nodes, with a pelvic examination disclosing a left adnexal solid mass, with normal serum CA125 level (21.7 U/mL). Laparotomy revealed a left solid ovarian tumor measuring 4 cm, which was covered with a smooth grayish capsule. The right ovary, uterus, and pelvic cavity appeared normal. Upon sectioning during the surgery, the cross-sectional surface of the left ovary revealed a dark brown solid tumor. Following an intra-operative frozen-section diagnosis as metastatic melanoma, total hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy and pelvic lymph dissection was performed. Histological examination confirmed the diagnosis as malignant melanoma metastasis to the left ovary and the obturator lymph node: the same laterality (left) as the primary site. The tumor was entirely composed of malignant melanoma cells with no evidence of teratoma. Combined chemotherapy with dabrafenib mesylate and trametinib was planned based on the positive BRAF mutations. This case highlights the importance that physicians should have high index of suspicion for the occurrence of ovarian melanoma metastasis after melanoma surgery. We also made extensive literature review on this issue, of which description may contribute to better understanding of this condition.

Diagnostic accuracies of intraoperative frozen section and permanent section examinations for histological grades during open biopsy of bone tumors.

A histological diagnosis obtained from an intraoperative frozen section (FS) during biopsy confirms the adequacy of tumor tissue in the specimen. However, some cases show a discrepancy among the intraoperative FS diagnosis, permanent section (PS) diagnosis of the biopsy specimen, and the final diagnosis of the excised tumor specimen. In this study, we retrospectively investigated the diagnostic accuracy of the FS and PS for different types of bone tumors. This study included 377 patients with 411 bone tumors who underwent tumor excision after an open biopsy with intraoperative FS diagnosis. FS, PS, and final diagnoses of the patients were classified into benign tumors/tumor-like lesions, intermediate malignancies, and malignant tumors. To assess diagnostic accuracy, the histological grades in FS and PS diagnoses were compared with those in the final diagnoses. The overall diagnostic accuracies of FS and PS were 93% and 97%, respectively. The accuracy of FS and PS for histological grade was 84% and 93% for chondrogenic tumors, 90% and 96% for osteogenic tumors, 97% and 98% for osteoclastic giant cell-rich tumors, 100% and 100% for tumors of undefined neoplastic nature, and 95% and 99% for other bone tumors, respectively. These data suggest that surgical planning based on PS diagnosis is recommended for chondrogenic and osteogenic tumors.

Accuracy of histological grades from intraoperative frozen-section diagnoses of soft-tissue tumors.

For excised tumor specimens, histological grades can differ between the biopsy diagnosis and the final diagnosis. We retrospectively investigated the diagnostic accuracies of histological grades for frozen-section and permanent-section diagnoses from patients with soft-tissue tumors. Frozen-section, permanent-section, and final diagnoses were classified as benign tumors/tumor-like lesions, intermediate malignancies, or malignant tumors. Diagnostic accuracies of the histological grades from the frozen and permanent sections were evaluated by comparing the final diagnoses for the resected specimens. The diagnostic accuracies of the histological grades for the frozen- and permanent-section diagnoses were 95% (387/408 lesions) and 97% (395/408 lesions), respectively. Among the tumor types, the diagnostic accuracies of the histological grades for the frozen-section and permanent-section diagnoses were 84% and 87% for adipocytic tumors, 87% and 91% for fibroblastic/myofibroblastic tumors, 99% and 100% for nerve-sheath tumors, 98% and 98% for fibrohistiocytic tumors, 90% and 98% for tumors of uncertain differentiation, 100% and 100% for vascular tumors, and 97% and 98% for other tumors, respectively. Histological grades from frozen-section diagnoses yielded low diagnostic accuracies in adipocytic and fibroblastic/myofibroblastic tumors. Treatment should be planned based on permanent-section diagnosis and radiological findings for these tumors.