Intraoperative Pathologic Evaluation Research Articles

Intraoperative pathologic evaluation of central compartment lymph nodes in patients undergoing lobectomy for unilateral papillary thyroid carcinoma

Background/ObjectiveAlthough papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) has an excellent prognosis, it can cause central lymph node metastasis (CLNM) which can increase local recurrence. Intraoperative pathologic evaluation (IOPE) can provide evidence regarding CLNM and help surgeons determine the appropriate surgical approach. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of IOPE and to determine risk factors associated with CLNM in unilateral PTC without preoperative clinical evidence of CLNM. MethodsMedical charts of 227 patients who had unilateral PTC without clinical lymph node metastasis preoperatively were reviewed retrospectively. They were scheduled for thyroid lobectomy and prophylactic central lymphadenectomy (CND) from January 1, 2017 to December 31, 2017. ResultsTotal follow-up period was 47.6 ± 10.6 months. CLNM was identified in 57 (25.1%) patients during IOPE and in 72 (31.7%) patients during final pathological analysis. The sensitivity and specificity of IOPE were 76.4% and 98.7%, respectively. IOPE through central lymph node dissection was safely performed with low complications (vocal cord palsy, 5.7%; hypoparathyroidism, 22.8%). Age < 55 years, echogenic foci on preoperative ultrasonography, and extrathyroidal extension at final pathological report were significantly associated with an increased risk of CLNM (p = 0.006, p < 0.001, and p < 0.001, respectively). In terms of oncological outcomes, there was no significant difference between the true negative and false negative results in IOPE. ConclusionIOPE can safely provide accurate information for determining disease status and surgical extent. Further long-term studies are needed to evaluate clinical benefits of IOPE.

Correlation between histopathological nerve assessment and clinical recovery in brachial plexus birth injuries.

In the management of brachial plexus birth palsies, the quality of the roots eligible for reconstruction is thought to be a key issue. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the correlations between pathological root examination and motor recovery after brachial plexus reconstructions. Quantitative histopathological analysis of intraneural fibrosis was conducted on 72 nerve transections (40 roots, 18 trunks and 14 suprascapular nerves) in 20 patients. Clinical recovery of targeted muscles after surgery was assessed by standardized functional scores. After a mean follow-up of 32 months, patients with a lower fibrosis rate for the suprascapular nerve had greater global Mallet scores (r = -0.57; p = 0.042) as well as a greater active shoulder flexion (r = -0.66; p = 0.015). Correlations were also found between C6 root and upper trunk fibrosis rate and some of the subsections of the Mallet score, active movement scale for the biceps and active elbow flexion. These results seem to confirm the relevance of intraoperative pathological evaluation of the roots and nerves after neuroma resection to optimally define the reconstruction strategy.Level of evidence: IV.

Intraoperative Pathological Evaluation of Suspicious Peritoneal Nodules for Surgical Decision-making in Gastric Cancer

BackgroundWhen frozen pathological results of suspicious peritoneal nodules found in gastric cancer (GC) patients are negative or indeterminant, whether to perform gastrectomy will always be a dilemma for surgeons. This study aimed to facilitate intraoperative surgical decision-making based on frozen section (FS) results and clinicopathological characteristics. MethodsFrom January 2015 to July 2021, 318 GC patients were enrolled retrospectively. The correlations between frozen and paraffin pathology of peritoneal nodules were examined. Then, predictive factors of positive paraffin section (PS) results were identified, and a nomogram was constructed. The survival significance of gastrectomy was also explored. ResultsOf 70 FS-negative patients, 59 (84.3%) had concordant negative PS results, while the PS results of 11 (15.7%) were positive. Forty-six (93.9%) and 3 (6.1%) of 49 patients with indeterminant FS results had positive and negative PS results, respectively. The PS results of 95 FS-positive patients were all positive. A nomogram for predicting positive PS results was developed based on Lauren type, nodule distribution, and CA125. Gastrectomy for FS-negative patients improved survival compared to no gastrectomy (HR 0.26, 95% CI 0.11–0.62; P = 0.0012). Survival benefits for gastrectomy vs. no gastrectomy were not demonstrated in patients with indeterminant (HR 0.74, 95% CI 0.27–2.01; P = 0.53) and positive (HR 0.87, 95% CI 0.43–1.74; P = 0.69) FS results. ConclusionsGastrectomy can be justified for the treatment of operable GC patients with negative frozen pathological results of peritoneal nodules. For patients with positive and indeterminant frozen pathological results, gastrectomy is not recommended unless it is performed as palliative surgery.

Quantitative Chemical Imaging of Bone Tissue for Intraoperative and Diagnostic Applications.

Bone is difficult to image using traditional histopathological methods, leading to challenges in intraoperative pathological evaluation that is critical in guiding surgical treatment, particularly in orthopedic oncology. In this study, we demonstrate that a multimodal quantitative imaging approach that combines stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) microscopy, two-photon fluorescence (TPF) microscopy, and second-harmonic generation (SHG) microscopy can provide useful diagnostic information regarding intact bone tissue fragments from surgical excision or biopsy specimens. We imaged bone samples from 17 patient cases and performed quantitative chemical and morphological analyses of both mineral and organic components of bone. Our main findings show that carbonate content combined with morphometric analysis of bone organic matrix can separate several major classes of bone cancer-associated diagnostic categories with an average accuracy of 92%. This proof-of-principle study demonstrates that quantitative multimodal imaging and machine learning-based analysis of bony tissue can provide crucial diagnostic information for guiding clinical decisions in orthopedic oncology. Moreover, the general methodology of morphological and chemical imaging combined with machine learning can be readily extended to other tissue types for tissue diagnosis in intraoperative and other clinical settings.

Intraoperative central nipple biopsy in nipple-sparing mastectomy- A retrospective analysis of 211 patients.

Subcutaneous nipple sparing mastectomies (NSM) are an important tool in modern oncoplastic surgery. Especially when an immediate implant-based reconstruction (IBR) is desired, clean margins are of the utmost importance. Central nipple biopsies during surgery serve two main purposes. Most importantly, it is hypothesized that intraoperative pathological evaluation of this biopsy may increase clean margin resection rates. In addition, a general recurrence risk reduction may occur due to the elimination of glandular and ductal components within the nipple. This analysis is a single center, multi-surgeon, retrospective, head to head analysis. Starting in March 2015, intraoperative central nipple biopsy in NSMs with IBR was introduced at the Municipal Breast Cancer Centre Cologne, Holweide, Germany. This trial retrospectively evaluates global complication rates, clean margin status and local recurrence rates for cohort 1 (NSM/no nipple biopsy, n=103) vs. cohort 2 (NSM with nipple biopsy, n=108) Median follow-up was 15months. All implant-based reconstruction procedures used an epipectoral implant pocket. Cohorts were comparable. Global complication rates slightly favored the nipple biopsy cohort with respects to implant loss rate. An involved central nipple biopsy was found in 4.6% (n=5/108) of the performed NSM procedures leading to the immediate removal of the nipple areola complex. All positive retro-areolar biopsies correlated with a positive nipple biopsy. However, in n=1 case we found DCIS discontinual proliferation with an involved nipple biopsy, without a correlating positive retro-areolar biopsy (ie, 1 false-negative case was prevented). For the 15month follow-up, there was no case of local recurrence within nipple areola complex for both cohorts. With this retrospective head to head analysis of 211 patients, it was shown that the central nipple biopsy correlates well with the retro-areolar biopsy. There may be a reduction in false negative rates. The procedure is safe to use and should be offered to NSM patients.

Diagnostic utility of imprint cytology of ovarian neoplasm: A cyto-histological comparison

Background: Intra-operative cytology (IOC) is a method of intra-operative pathological evaluation of cytology smears. The most important indication for IOC is to establish or confirm diagnosis rapidly. Other advantages of IOC are its simple, inexpensive, excellent preservation of cellular details, with no loss of tissues as occurs with cryostat sections and adequacy of surgical margins. Frozen sections are well established method for providing rapid and accurate intra-operative diagnosis. Objective: To evaluate the diagnostic utility of imprint cytology and assess the accuracy of imprint cytology with histopathological diagnosis obtained from ovarian neoplasm. Materials and Methods: Imprint smears were prepared immediately from all the ovariotomy specimens. The specimens were sent for histopathology along with prepared smears to categorize as benign, borderline and malignant. Sensitivity, specificity and accuracy were assessed. Results : Among the 99 specimens studied, 80 were benign, 9 borderline and 10 malignancy according to histopathology. We found that sensitivity, specificity, for benign lesions were 100%, 42.1% and for malignant lesions were 80%, 91.9% respectively. The overall accuracy was 89%. Conclusion : Imprint smear of ovarian neoplasm gives a rapid diagnosis with 89% accuracy against histopathology with added advantages. Imprint cytology is an adjunct to frozen section for providing an intra-operative diagnosis; however, in resource poor settings, it can be used as a stand-alone method for aiding intra-operative decision making. Keywords: Imprint smear, Histopathology, Ovarian neoplasm, Intraoperative cytology.

The Reliability of Intraoperative Assessment on Predicting Tumor Size, Myometrial Invasion, and Cervical Involvement in Patients With a Preoperative Diagnosis of Complex Atypical Hyperplasia or (Clinical Stage I) Endometrial Cancer: A Prospective Cohort Study.

The objective of this study is to assess the reliability of intraoperative uterine assessment compared with the final pathologic evaluation in patients with endometrial cancer (EC) and whether assessment improves with experience. After Institutional Review Board approval, a prospective cohort study of women surgically managed with biopsy-proven complex atypical hyperplasia (CAH) or EC between March 2015 and December 2016 was performed. Demographics, preoperative biopsy results, procedure, intraoperative and final pathologic evaluation of lesion size, myometrial invasion, and lower uterine segment/cervical involvement were abstracted. The agreement between the intraoperative and final pathologic evaluation of tumor involvement of the uterus was determined using the kappa statistic and the intraclass correlation coefficient. A total of 264 patients with a preoperative diagnosis of CAH or EC were included-71 (26.9%) with CAH and 193 (73.1%) with EC. The mean age was 62.6±11.5, and mean body mass index was 37.2±10.1. The majority of women were white (67%). A total of 227 (85.9%) patients underwent a laparoscopic or robotic hysterectomy, whereas 36 (13.6%) underwent an abdominal hysterectomy. 233 (88.3%) patients had EC and 21 (7.9%) patients had CAH on final pathology. There was a fair agreement between the intraoperative estimation of myometrial invasion (κ=0.37). A moderate agreement exists between the intraoperative estimation of lower uterine segment/cervical involvement (κ=0.57). There was a strong agreement between intraoperative tumor size assessment and the final path (intraclass correlation coefficient=0.74). The intraoperative correlation of tumor size was similar for the first half of the cohort (κ=0.50) and the second half (κ=0.46) chronologically. Despite only a fair correlation in the myometrial invasion, intraoperative assessment of cervical involvement and especially tumor size is more readily identified and overall accurate. Therefore, intraoperative evaluation is an additional tool to use when making the decision to proceed with surgical staging.

Abstract P5-16-11: Intraoperative central nipple biopsy in subcutaneous mastectomies - A retrospective analysis of 200 patients

Abstract Background: Subcutaneous nipple sparing mastectomies (NSM) are an important tool in modern oncoplastic surgery. Especially when an immediate implant-based reconstruction (IBR) is desired, clean margins are of the utmost importance. Central nipple biopsies during surgery serve two main purposes. Most importantly, it is hypothesized that a general recurrence risk reduction occurs due to elimination of glandular and ductal components within the nipple. In addition, intraoperative pathological evaluation of this biopsy may increase clean margin resection rates. This trial aimed to evaluate complication rates, local recurrence and clean margin resection rates in a head-to-head retrospective manner. Methods: Starting in 2015, intraoperative central nipple biopsy in NSM with IBR was introduced at the Municipal Breast Cancer Centre Cologne, Holweide, Germany. This trial evaluates global complication rates (necrosis, implant loss, seroma and hematoma), long term local recurrence and clean margin status for cohort 1 (n=100) SSM with nipple biopsy vs. cohort 2 (control, n = 100) without nipple biopsy. In case of an involved central nipple biopsy, the nipple areola complex was removed. This analysis is a single center, multi-surgeon, retrospective, head to head analysis. Median follow-up is three years. All IBR procedures used an epipectoral implant pocket. Results: Global complication rates did not differ significantly between both cohorts. There was no increased rate of implant loss and or revision surgery. Within the medium three-year follow-up there was no case of local recurrence within nipple areola complex for both cohorts. An Involved central nipple biopsy was however found in 2% (n=2 /100) of the performed SSM procedures leading to the immediate removal of the nipple areola complex. Surgical time did not increase with central biopsy. A significantly higher rate of re-surgery due to involved margins was shown in the control cohort. Conclusions: This analysis showed that intraoperative evaluation of the ductal components of the nipple is a safe procedure. At least 2% of the patients showed an immediate advantage of this procedure since clean margins were obtained by removing the nipple areola complex during the same surgery. The medium follow-up showed no significant difference in local recurrence. We therefore strongly, recommend a central nipple biopsy for all NSM procedures. Citation Format: Eichler C, Stephan S, Thangarajah F, Puppe J, Mathias W. Intraoperative central nipple biopsy in subcutaneous mastectomies - A retrospective analysis of 200 patients [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2018 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2018 Dec 4-8; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P5-16-11.

Factors impacting the accuracy of intra-operative evaluation of sentinel lymph nodes in breast cancer.

Sentinel lymph node dissection (SLND) is a standard axillary staging technique in breast cancer and intraoperative sentinel lymph node (SLN) assessment is important for decision-making regarding additional treatment and reconstruction. This study was undertaken to investigate clinicopathologic factors impacting the accuracy of intraoperative SLN evaluation. Records of patients with clinically node-negative, invasive breast cancer who underwent SLND with frozen section intraoperative pathologic evaluation from 2004 to 2007 were reviewed. Intraoperative SLN assessment results were compared to final pathology. Patients with positive SLNs that were initially reported as negative during intraoperative assessment were considered false negative (FN) events. Primary tumor histology, grade, receptor status, size, lymphovascular invasion (LVI), multifocality, neoadjuvant chemotherapy or hormonal therapy, number of SLNs retrieved, and SLN metastasis size were evaluated. The study included 681 patients, of whom 262 (38%) received neoadjuvant therapy. There were 183 (27%) patients who had a positive SLN on final pathology, of whom 60 (33%) had FN events. On univariate analysis, lobular histology, favorable histology, absence of LVI and micrometastasis were associated with a higher FN rate. On multivariate analysis, favorable and lobular histology and micrometastasis were independent predictors of FN events whereas LVI and receipt of neoadjuvant therapy were not statistically significant predictors. The accuracy of intraoperative SLN evaluation for breast cancer is affected by primary tumor histology and size of the SLN metastasis. There was no significant association between neoadjuvant therapy and the FN rate by intraoperative assessment. This information may be helpful in counseling patients about their risk for a FN intraoperative SLN assessment and for planning for immediate breast reconstruction in patients undergoing mastectomy.

Rapid Immunohistochemistry With Thyroid Transcription Factor-1 for Pulmonary Adenocarcinoma

Intraoperative pathologic diagnosis of solitary pulmonary tumors to differentiate between metastatic and primary lung cancer is extremely important to determine the appropriate range of excision. Accurate intraoperative pathologic evaluation may be often difficult, however, and needs additional immunohistochemical (IHC) evaluation to support the diagnosis. Although conventional IHC is a powerful tool for diagnosis, its clinical use is limited intraoperatively because of time constraints. To address this issue, we developed a device that enables complete and rapid IHC (R-IHC) analyses within 20 minutes. We aimed to evaluate the discriminative ability of the R-IHC with anti-thyroid transcription factor-1 (TTF-1) antibody, which is a highly specific IHC marker for primary lung adenocarcinoma. A total of 61 pulmonary tumors that were resected at our institute from May 2011 to September 2013were retrospectively examined. The samples were sectioned, labeled with anti-TTF-1 antibody using the R-IHC method, and pathologically evaluated. The standard used for evaluation was conventional IHC with TTF-1. With the R-IHC procedure, analyses were completed within 20 minutes, with a diagnostic accuracy of 96.7% (59 of 61). Among the 47 primary lung adenocarcinomas, the R-IHC detected 31 (66%) tumors that were positive for TTF-1, with a positive predictive value of 100% (31 of 31). Our newly developed method of R-IHC with anti-TTF-1 antibody was useful for diagnosing and differentiation of solitary pulmonary tumors. This technology may prove to be an important supplement to standard intraoperative pathologic diagnosis in routine practice.

CT Accuracy of Extrinsic Tongue Muscle Invasion in Oral Cavity Cancer.

Extrinsic tongue muscle invasion in oral cavity cancer upstages the primary tumor to a T4a. Despite this American Joint Committee on Cancer staging criterion, no studies have investigated the accuracy or prognostic importance of radiologic extrinsic tongue muscle invasion, the feasibility of standardizing extrinsic tongue muscle invasion reporting, or the degree of agreement across different disciplines: radiology, surgery, and pathology. The purpose of this study was to assess the agreement among radiology, surgery, and pathology for extrinsic tongue muscle invasion and to determine the imaging features most predictive of extrinsic tongue muscle invasion with surgical/pathologic confirmation. Thirty-three patients with untreated primary oral cavity cancer were included. Two head and neck radiologists, 3 otolaryngologists, and 1 pathologist prospectively evaluated extrinsic tongue muscle invasion. Fourteen of 33 patients had radiologic extrinsic tongue muscle invasion; however, only 8 extrinsic tongue muscle invasions were confirmed intraoperatively. Pathologists were unable to determine extrinsic tongue muscle invasion in post-formalin-fixed samples. Radiologic extrinsic tongue muscle invasion had 100% sensitivity, 76% specificity, 57% positive predictive value, and 100% negative predictive value with concurrent surgical-pathologic evaluation of extrinsic tongue muscle invasion as the criterion standard. On further evaluation, the imaging characteristic most consistent with surgical-pathologic evaluation positive for extrinsic tongue muscle invasion was masslike enhancement. Evaluation of extrinsic tongue muscle invasion is a subjective finding for all 3 disciplines. For radiology, masslike enhancement of extrinsic tongue muscle invasion most consistently corresponded to concurrent surgery/pathology evaluation positive for extrinsic tongue muscle invasion. Intraoperative surgical and pathologic evaluation should be encouraged to verify radiologic extrinsic tongue muscle invasion to minimize unnecessary upstaging. Because this process is not routine, imaging can add value by identifying those cases most suspicious for extrinsic tongue muscle invasion, thereby prompting this more detailed evaluation by surgeons and pathologists.

Risk of micrometastases in non-sentinel pelvic lymph nodes in cervical cancer

ObjectiveA high sensitivity of sentinel lymph nodes (SLN) for pelvic lymph node (LN) staging has been repeatedly shown in patients with cervical cancer. However, since only SLN are evaluated by pathologic ultrastaging, the risk of small metastases, including small macrometastases (MAC) and micrometastases (MIC), in non-SLN is unknown. This can be a critical limitation for the oncological safety of abandoning a pelvic lymphadenectomy. MethodsThe patients selected for the study had cervical cancer and were at high risk for LN positivity (stage IB–IIA, biggest diameter≥3cm). The patients had no enlarged or suspicious LN on pre-operative imaging; SLNs were detected bilaterally and were negative on intra-operative pathologic evaluation. All SLNs and all other pelvic LNs were examined using an ultrastaging protocol and processed completely in intervals of 150μm. ResultsIn all, 17 patients were enrolled into the study. The mean number of removed pelvic LNs was 30. A total of 573 pelvic LNs were examined through ultrastaging protocol (5762 slides). Metastatic involvement was detected in SLNs of 8 patients (1× MAC; 4× MIC; 3× ITC) and in non-SLNs in 2 patients (2× MIC). In both cases with positive pelvic non-SLNs, there were found MIC in ipsilateral SLNs. No metastasis in pelvic non-SLNs was found by pathologic ultrastaging in any of the patients with negative SLN Side-specific sensitivity was 100% for MAC and MIC. There was one case of ITC detected in non-SLN, negative ipsilateral SLN, but MIC in SLN on the other pelvic side. ConclusionsAfter processing all pelvic LNs by pathologic ultrastaging, there were found no false-negative cases of positive non-SLN (MAC or MIC) and negative SLN. SLN ultrastaging reached 100% sensitivity for the presence of both MAC and MIC in pelvic LNs.

Practical intraoperative pathologic evaluation of sentinel lymph nodes during sentinel node navigation surgery in gastric cancer patients – Proposal of the pathologic protocol for the upcoming SENORITA trial

Over the last decade, as the number of patients with early gastric cancer increased and the subsequent survival rate improved, there has been a consistent effort to verify the applicability of the sentinel node concept in gastric cancer in a bid to improve postoperative quality of life in these patients. During sentinel node navigation surgery in gastric cancer patients, intraoperative pathologic examination of the retrieved sentinel nodes plays a critical role in determining the extent of surgery, but the optimal method is still under debate. Currently, a multicenter, phase III clinical trial is underway to compare laparoscopic sentinel basin dissection with stomach preserving surgery and standard laparoscopic gastrectomy in terms of oncologic outcomes in patients with clinical stage T1N0 gastric cancer. Herein, the currently available intraoperative pathologic techniques are reviewed and their clinical significance and applicability are appraised based on the published literature. The proper pathologic examination of the sentinel lymph nodes in an upcoming clinical trial (SENORITA trial) is also proposed here based on this review.

Prediction of non-sentinel lymph node involvement in breast cancer patients with a positive sentinel lymph node

Completion axillary lymph node dissection (cALND) is the golden standard if breast cancer involves the sentinel lymph node (SLN). However, most non-sentinel lymph nodes (NSLN) are not involved, cALND has a considerable complication rate and does not improve outcome. We here present and validate our predictive model for positive NSLNs in the cALND if the SLN is positive.Consecutive early breast cancer patients from one center undergoing cALND for a positive SLN were included. We assessed demographic and clinicopathological variables for NSLN involvement. Uni- and multivariate analysis was performed. A predictive model was built and validated in two external centers.21.9% of 470 patients had at least one involved NSLN. In univariate analysis, seven variables were significantly correlated with NSLN involvement: tumor size, grade, lymphovascular invasion (LVI), number of positive and negative SLNs, size of SLN metastasis and intraoperative positive SLN. In multivariate analysis, LVI, number of negative SLNs, size of SLN metastasis and intraoperative positive pathological evaluation were independent predictors for NSLN involvement. The calculated risk resulted in an AUC of 0.76. Applied to the external data, the model was accurate and discriminating for one (AUC = 0.75) and less for the other center (AUC = 0.58).A discriminative predictive model was constructed to calculate the risk of NSLN involvement in case of a positive SLN. External validation of our model reveals differences in performance when applied to data from other institutions concluding that such a predictive model requires validation prior to use.

Intraoperative Pancreatoscopy: A Valuable Tool for Pancreatic Surgeons?

Effective treatment of pancreatic pathology relies on both preoperative and intraoperative decision making. Traditionally, the use of preoperative imaging and endoscopic modalities, in combination with intraoperative findings and pathologic evaluation, has guided the surgeons to perform the correct operative procedure. We hypothesize that the intraoperative use of pancreatoscopy (fiberoptic endoscopy of the pancreatic duct) is a valuable adjunct in selected cases to facilitate the performance of the appropriate definitive surgical treatment. We queried our IRB-approved, prospectively maintained the pancreatic surgery database identifying the uses of intraoperative pancreatoscopy in all pancreatic resections at our institution from 2005–2012. Operative notes, pathology reports, and perioperative outcomes were evaluated. During the study period, 1,016 pancreatic resections were performed at our institution. Twenty-three cases during this period included the use of intraoperative pancreatoscopy. Eighteen (78 %) of these operations were performed for presumed main duct intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm. In five cases (22 %), the surgical resection was extended secondary to the intraoperative pancreatoscopy findings. Appropriate surgical treatment of the pancreatic lesions can be challenging in the face of preoperative imaging limitations. The selective use of intraoperative fiberoptic endoscopy to evaluate the pancreatic duct appears to help to enable the surgeon to better perform the appropriate resection and optimal treatment.

Superpulsed CO 2 Laser with Intraoperative Pathologic Assessment for Treatment of Periorbital Basal Cell Carcinoma Involving Eyelash Line.

Background. Periorbital basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is considered a high risk case because it is associated with high rate of recurrence and complication. Superpulsed CO2 laser with intraoperative pathologic assessment could be an alternative and appropriate treatment for periocular lesions where Mohs micrographic surgery is not available. Objective. To evaluate the efficacy of superpulsed CO2 laser therapy with intraoperative pathologic assessment on periocular BCC involving eyelash line. Method. This follow-up study was performed on 20 patients with a total of 21 BCC lesions that were pathologically documented. Firstly, debulkation of tumoral mass was done by curettage. Then, irradiation and intraoperative pathologic evaluation were done by concurrent CO2 laser. The patients were followed up for a period of 36 months. Results. Out of 21 lesions, the nodular type accounted for 15 (71.4%) lesions, and 12 (57.1%) lesions were seen in the lower lid as the most common clinical type and site involvement. Twenty BCC lesions (95.2%) were treated after one session. Damage to eyelash was seen in 2 (10%) patients, but ectropion and other complications were not seen in any patient. Conclusion. Treatment with superpulsed CO2 laser and intraoperative pathologic evaluation for periorbital BCC lesions much close to conjunctiva could be an effective method with minimal complications without major danger of recurrence. This modality can be used with care in the inner canthus and high risk pathologic lesions.

Accuracy of frozen-section examination for myometrial invasion and grade in endometrial cancer

To evaluate the accuracy of frozen section (FS) analysis in endometrial cancer. The medical records of 816 patients with stage IA-IVB endometrial carcinoma were evaluated. Concordance of the frozen section examination and postoperative evaluation in terms of the depth of myometrial invasion (MI) and grade was assessed. The mean age of the patients was 58.1 years. Postoperative pathology revealed endometrioid type tumor in 756 patients. Concordance of intraoperative and postoperative pathology results in terms of grade was 89%. This rate was 96.8% for grade 1, 86% for grade 2 and 91.3% for grade 3 tumors. Sensitivity and specificity of intraoperative evaluation for grade 1, grade 2 and grade 3 were 89.3%, 91.2%, 77.8% and 93.1%, 96.1%, 99.5%, respectively. Intraoperative and postoperative determination of MI was consistent in 85.4% of patients. MI was assessed accurately in 78.5% of patients with no involvement of myometrium and in 90.5% and 95.3% of patients with myometrial invasion <1/2 and ≥1/2, respectively. Sensitivity and specificity of FS in prediction of the absence of MI, MI<1/2 and ≥1/2 were 60%, 91.5%, 88.8% and 96.6%, 88.3%, 98.3%, respectively. The accuracy of myometrial invasion was affected by the postoperative grade. Concordance was higher in grade 2 and 3 than grade 1 tumors. The accuracy of intraoperative pathologic evaluation in endometrial cancer is reasonably high. For that reason, results of the intraoperative pathologic examination should be taken into consideration primarily in the management for lymphadenectomy.

Periampullary duodenal duplication cyst masquerading as a choledochocele

Enteric duplication cysts are rare congenital anomalies of unclear etiology. While they can occur anywhere in the gastrointestinal tract, they typically occur in the ileum or ileocecal region and very rarely in the duodenum. Here, we report a case of a periampullary duodenal duplication cyst in a 13-year-old male who presented with clinical and laboratory evidence of small bowel obstruction, hepatitis, and pancreatitis. Based on radiologic imaging, the patient was thought to have a type III choledochal cyst (choledochocele) within the duodenal lumen. Intraoperative findings and postoperative pathological evaluation, however, revealed that the lesion was a duodenal duplication cyst masquerading as a choledochal cyst. Interestingly, the duplication cyst was communicating with the common bile duct, simultaneously causing biliary and small bowel obstruction.

Tissue rinse liquid-based cytology: a feasible tool for the intraoperative pathological evaluation of sentinel lymph nodes in breast cancer patients

A unique diagnostic method was designed for the intraoperative pathological evaluation of sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs) in breast cancer patients, and the results were verified with 2 years of experience. Excised lymph nodes were cut into 2-mm-thick slices and rinsed thoroughly in CytoRich Red(®). The sliced tissues were embedded in a paraffin block. Three cytological glass slides of the cells exfoliated in CytoRich Red(®) were prepared by the SurePath(®) liquid-based cytology (LBC) technique. Two slides were stained by the Papanicolaou method, and the remaining slide was immunostained with an anti-keratin antibody. This process is called tissue rinse liquid-based cytology (TRLBC). The results of TRLBC were compared with those of the final pathological diagnoses, including immunostaining with an anti-keratin antibody on paraffin blocks (PB). This study analysed 444 SLNs from 247 consecutive breast cancer patients. It required 35 minutes to complete the intraoperative diagnosis on a single node, and it took an additional 5 minutes per node if more than one node was submitted. When the results of PB were assumed to be the gold standard, the sensitivity and specificity of TRLBC were 81.9% and 96.1%, respectively. TRLBC detected all nodes with macrometastasis and 23 of 24 nodes with micrometastasis. Fifteen false-negative TRLBC results were 'isolated tumour cell clusters' on PB, but there was one with micrometastasis histologically. Four of 14 false-positive TRLBC results were proven to be true positive by supplementary examination using step sectioning of the paraffin blocks of the nodes. TRLBC is a feasible and promising intraoperative cytopathological tool showing a comparable efficacy to PB while still allowing the conventional postoperative histological examination.

Is there any utility to frozen section or immunohistochemistry examination of the sentinel lymph node (SLN) in patients with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS)?

1091 Background: Whether SLN biopsy (SLNB) should be performed in patients with DCIS is controversial. Many centers perform SLNB in DCIS believing it obviates the need for re-operation for axillary staging when invasive cancer (IC) is discovered. Given the low incidence of occult IC detected, whether intra-operative pathologic evaluation during SLNB in DCIS patients provides value has not been addressed. Methods: Demographic and clinico-pathologic data was collected and analyzed for all patients undergoing surgical resection for DCIS between 2004-2010 in order to determine the sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of frozen section (FS) and immuno-histochemistry (IHC) examination of the SLN, and its’ impact on axillary management. Results: 267 DCIS patients (median age 57 years) underwent lumpectomy (N=72) or mastectomy (N=195) with SLNB, intra-operative FS and IHC evaluation. Pre-operative pathology was DCIS (N=231), DCIS with micro-invasion (< 2 mm, N= 24) and DCIS associated with other lesions (N=12). SLN metastasis (SLNM) was identified in 13 patients (4%), of which only 4 were FS positive (1%). SLN micrometastasis (≤ 2 mm) and individual tumor cells (ITCs) were detected by IHC in 10 of 13 patients, while 3 patients had macro-metastasis. Overall, 50 patients (19%) had IC on final pathology. The FS was falsely negative in 9 patients (7%), and had sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of 31%, 100% and 98% respectively in identifying SLNM. 8 of 13 patients with SLNM underwent axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) of which only 1 patient (with macro-metastasis) had further axillary metastasis. On a need to treat basis, 30 and 91 patients would have to undergo FS and IHC exam respectively to identify 1 patient with a metastasis. Conclusions: SLN metastasis in DCIS is uncommon and the prognostic significance of micro-metastasis or ITCs in DCIS is unknown. Given the infrequent higher axillary nodal involvement and low sensitivity and yield of FS and IHC evaluation in DCIS particularly for identifying candidates for ALND, these procedures can be safely omitted thereby reducing operative time and cost. Additional studies are needed to validate these results.