Objective: To explore the feasibility and application value of intraoperative direct immunohistochemical (IHC) staining in improving the diagnosis accuracy in difficult cases of bronchiolar adenoma (BA). Methods: Nineteen cases with single or multiple pulmonary ground-glass nodules or solid nodules indicated by imaging in Cancer Hospital of Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences from January to July 2021 and with difficulty in differential diagnosis at frozen HE sections were selected. In the experimental group, direct IHC staining of cytokeratin 5/6 (CK5/6) and p63 was performed on frozen sections to assist the differentiation of BA from in situ/micro-invasive adenocarcinoma/adenocarcinoma/invasive mucinous adenocarcinoma. In the control group, two pathologists performed routine frozen HE section diagnosis on these 19 cases. The diagnostic results of paraffin sections were used as the gold standard. The sensitivity and specificity of BA diagnosis, consistency with paraffin diagnosis and time used for frozen diagnosis were compared between the experimental group and the control group. Results: The basal cells of BA were highlighted by CK5/6 and p63 staining. There were no basal cells in the in situ/microinvasive adenocarcinoma/adenocarcinoma/invasive mucinous adenocarcinoma. In the experimental group, the sensitivity and specificity with aid of direct IHC staining for BA were 100% and 86.7%, respectively, and the Kappa value of frozen and paraffin diagnosis was 0.732, and these were significantly higher than those in the control group (P<0.05). The average time consumption in the experimental group (32.4 min) was only 7 min longer than that in the control group (25.4 min). Conclusions: Direct IHC staining can improve the accuracy of BA diagnosis intraoperatively and reduce the risk of misdiagnosis, but require significantly longer time. Thus frozen direct IHC staining should be restricted to cases with difficulty in differentiating benign from malignant diseases, especially when the surgical modalities differ based on the frozen diagnosis.
Humans ; Paraffin ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Adenocarcinoma in Situ ; Adenoma/diagnosis* ; Adenocarcinoma, Mucinous/surgery* ; Frozen Sections/methods*

Humans ; Frozen Sections ; Adenoma/diagnosis* ; Bronchial Neoplasms/surgery*

A 66-year-old postmenopausal woman received routine gynecologic check-up. Transvaginal ultrasonography and abdominal and pelvic computed tomography showed about 5-cm cystic mass in uterus with solid component and the patient had thin endometrium and the serum level of CA 125 was normal. We performed a total hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy and found tumor which had brownish cystic fluid and about 2 cm sized and colored in light yellowish, polypoid protruding solid mass, located within the myometrial wall. Histopathological examination of frozen section revealed malignancy. The tumor was confined within the myometrium and its histologic type was clear cell adenocarcinoma. Finally we identified that the myometrial mass was clear cell adenocarcinoma originated from adenomyosis pathologically. The malignant transformation of adenomyosis is very rare. When we find a cystic change with solid component in adenomyosis patients, clear cell adenocarcinoma should be suspected as a differential diagnosis and magnetic resonance imaging should be considered for further evaluation.
Adenocarcinoma, Clear Cell* ; Adenomyosis* ; Aged ; Animals ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Endometrium ; Female ; Frozen Sections ; Humans ; Hysterectomy ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Mice ; Myometrium ; Ultrasonography ; Uterus

frozen section during surgery. 61.6% patients had dense breasts and 85.7% of dense breasts could margin assess by intraoperative specimen mammography. There were no significant differences in the incidence of extremely close margins (p = 0.421) and second operation (p = 0.252) between both groups. Significant correlations were found between radiological and histological margins (R² = 0.222, p < 0.05). The frozen section analysis group had longer operative time than the specimen mammography group. The study results show that intraoperative specimen mammography of breast lesions in BCS is useful in identifying margin clearance.]]>
Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Breast ; Breast Neoplasms ; Female ; Frozen Sections ; Humans ; Incidence ; Mammography ; Mastectomy, Segmental ; Methods ; Operative Time

The primary function of intraoperative frozen consultation is to provide an as accurate and prompt diagnosis as possible during surgery and to guide the surgeon in further management. However, the evaluation of frozen section (FS) is sometimes difficult because of suboptimal tissue quality and frozen artifacts compared with routinely processed tissue section. The pathologist responsible for the FS diagnosis requires experience and good judgment. Ovarian tumors are a heterogeneous group of tumors including primary surface epithelial tumors, germ cell tumors and sex cord-stromal tumors, secondary tumors, and other groups of tumors of uncertain histogenesis or nonspecific stroma. Intraoperative FS is a very important and reliable tool that guides the surgical management of ovarian tumors. In this review, the diagnostic key points for the pathologist and the implication of the FS diagnosis on the operator’s decisions are discussed.
Artifacts ; Diagnosis ; Frozen Sections ; Judgment ; Neoplasms, Germ Cell and Embryonal ; Sex Cord-Gonadal Stromal Tumors

PURPOSE: Sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy (SLNB) is widely performed for axillary staging in patients with breast cancer. Based on the results of frozen section examination (FSE), surgeons can decide to continue further axillary dissections. This study aimed to verify the accuracy of FSE for SLNs. METHODS: We reviewed the records of 4,219 patients who underwent SLNB for primary invasive breast cancer between 2007 and 2016 at the Severance Hospital. We evaluated factors associated with the false-negative results of FSE for SLNs using the Generalized Estimating Equations model. RESULTS: A total of 1,397 SLNs from 908 patients were confirmed to be metastatic. Seventy-one patients (1.7%) had confirmed pathologic N2 or N3 stage. Among metastatic SLNs, micrometastasis was found in 234 (16.8%). The overall accuracy of SLNB was 98.5%. The sensitivity and false-negative rate of FSE were 86.4% and 13.6%, respectively. Several clinicopathological factors, including the size of SLN metastases, suspicious preoperative axillary lymph nodes, and luminal B subtype, were associated with a higher rate of false-negative results. CONCLUSION: Most patients were not indicated for axillary lymph node dissection. Some patients may show transition in their permanent pathology due to the size of the metastatic node. However, the false-negative results of FSE for SLNs based on the size of the metastatic node did not change our practice. Therefore, intraoperative FSE for SLN should not be routinely performed for all breast cancer patients.
Biopsy ; Breast Neoplasms ; Breast ; False Negative Reactions ; Frozen Sections ; Humans ; Lymph Node Excision ; Lymph Nodes ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Neoplasm Micrometastasis ; Pathology ; Phenobarbital ; Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy ; Surgeons

OBJECTIVE: To determine the accuracy of frozen section diagnosis and factors associated with final pathological diagnosis upgrade in patients with mucinous ovarian tumors. METHODS: This study included 1,032 patients with mucinous ovarian tumors who underwent frozen section diagnosis during surgery. Sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic accuracy of frozen section diagnosis was calculated. Univariate and multivariate regression analyses were performed to determine factors associated with diagnosis upgrade in the final pathology report. RESULTS: The sensitivity and specificity of frozen section diagnosis were 99.1% (95% confidence interval [CI]=98%–99.6%) and 82.2% (95% CI=77.9%–85.7%), respectively, for benign mucinous tumors; 74.6% (95% CI=69.1%–79.4%) and 96.7% (95% CI=95.2%–97.8%), respectively, for mucinous borderline ovarian tumors; and 72.5% (95% CI=62.9%–80.3%) and 98.8% (95% CI=97.9%–99.3%), respectively, for invasive mucinous carcinomas. The multivariate analysis revealed that mixed tumor histology (odds ratio [OR]=2.8; 95% CI=1.3–6.3; p=0.012), tumor size >12 cm (OR=2.5; 95% CI=1.5–4.3; p=0.001), multilocular tumor (OR=2.9; 95% CI=1.4–6.0; p=0.006), and presence of a solid component in the tumor (OR=3.1; 95% CI=1.8–5.1; p<0.001) were independent risk factors for final pathological diagnosis upgrade. CONCLUSIONS: Mixed tumor histology, tumor size >12 cm, multilocular tumor, and presence of a solid component in the tumor were independent risk factors for final pathological diagnosis upgrade based on frozen section diagnosis.
Adenocarcinoma, Mucinous ; Diagnosis ; Frozen Sections ; Humans ; Mucins ; Multivariate Analysis ; Ovarian Neoplasms ; Pathology ; Risk Factors ; Sensitivity and Specificity

BACKGROUND: Pathologic diagnosis of central nervous system (CNS) neoplasms is made by comparing light microscopic, immunohistochemical, and molecular cytogenetic findings with clinicoradiologic observations. Intraoperative frozen cytology smears can improve the diagnostic accuracy for CNS neoplasms. Here, we evaluate the diagnostic value of cytology in frozen diagnoses of CNS neoplasms. METHODS: Cases were selected from patients undergoing both frozen cytology and frozen sections. Diagnostic accuracy was evaluated. RESULTS: Four hundred and fifty-four cases were included in this retrospective single-center review study covering a span of 10 years. Five discrepant cases (1.1%) were found after excluding 53 deferred cases (31 cases of tentative diagnosis, 22 cases of inadequate frozen sampling). A total of 346 cases of complete concordance and 50 cases of partial concordance were classified as not discordant cases in the present study. Diagnostic accuracy of intraoperative frozen diagnosis was 87.2%, and the accuracy was 98.8% after excluding deferred cases. Discrepancies between frozen and permanent diagnoses (n = 5, 1.1%) were found in cases of nonrepresentative sampling (n = 2) and misinterpretation (n = 3). High concordance was observed more frequently in meningeal tumors (97/98, 99%), metastatic brain tumors (51/52, 98.1%), pituitary adenomas (86/89, 96.6%), schwannomas (45/47, 95.8%), high-grade astrocytic tumors (47/58, 81%), low grade astrocytic tumors (10/13, 76.9%), non-neoplastic lesions (23/36, 63.9%), in decreasing frequency. CONCLUSIONS: Using intraoperative cytology and frozen sections of CNS tumors is a highly accurate diagnostic ancillary method, providing subtyping of CNS neoplasms, especially in frequently encountered entities.
Brain Neoplasms ; Central Nervous System Neoplasms ; Central Nervous System ; Cytogenetics ; Diagnosis ; Frozen Sections ; Humans ; Meningeal Neoplasms ; Methods ; Neurilemmoma ; Pituitary Neoplasms ; Retrospective Studies

OBJECTIVES: Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) tumors are locally invasive but rarely metastatic. However, aggressive metastatic variants are being increasingly reported in elderly people. Here we investigated the clinical utility of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) as a predictive biomarker for aggressive BCC variants. METHODS: Thirty-five pathologically confirmed cases of BCC that underwent surgical removal in the Plastic Surgery Department between January 1, 2011 and December 31, 2012 were studied. VEGF expression was analyzed in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tumor tissue by immunohistochemical staining. Positive staining was defined as more than 10% of the tumor cells showing immunoreactivity. The associations of VEGF expression with various clinicopathologic parameters were analyzed. RESULTS: The face was the most prevalent site (28/35), with 15 cases from the nose, 6 cases from the eyelid, and 5 cases from the cheek. The patients were aged between 41 and 86 years, with a mean age of 69.26 ± 173.903 years. The mean BCC size was 1.34 ± 3.853 cm, with a range of 0.3 cm to 12.0 cm. The mean tumor invasion depth from the basement epidermal membrane was 0.17 ± 0.035 cm, with a range of 0.03 cm to 1.10 cm. A mean of 5.66 ± 20.938 intraoperative frozen section slides were examined. VEGF was not expressed in 14 of the 35 patients (40.0%), whereas 42.9% of the patients had low expression and 17.1% of the patients had high expression. VEGF expression was significantly associated with age (P = 0.022), size (P = 0.030), site (P = 0.013), tumor invasion depth (P = 0.019), and number of intraoperatively frozen sections (P = 0.003). CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that VEGF expression as assessed by immunohistochemistry can predict aggressive or poor prognosis in BCC.
Aged ; Carcinoma, Basal Cell* ; Cheek ; Eyelids ; Frozen Sections ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Membranes ; Nose ; Prognosis ; Surgery, Plastic ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A*

Angiomyolipoma (AML) is a rare benign mesenchymal tumor in the liver, which is composed of blood vessels, smooth muscle, and adipose cells. The proportion of each component varies, making a diagnosis difficult. This paper reports a case of AML in the liver without adipose tissue, mimicking a hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), which was diagnosed by a surgical tissue biopsy. A 65-year-old woman was admitted for an evaluation of a hepatic mass that had been detected by ultrasonography. The serologic markers of viral hepatitis B and C were negative. The liver function tests and alpha fetoprotein level were within the normal limits. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a 1.9 cm sized mass in segment 6 of the liver with early arterial enhancement and washout on the delayed phase accompanied by a rim-like enhancement, which is similar to the imaging findings of HCC. A frozen section examination during surgery indicated a hepatocellular neoplasm and suggested the possibility of HCC. On the other hand, the final pathologic diagnosis was epithelioid myoid type of AML with no adipose tissue component. The tumor cells were positive for human melanocyte B-45 and negative for cytokeratin and hepatocyte paraffin 1. This paper reports a very rare case of AML without adipose tissue in the liver mimicking HCC that was diagnosed by a surgical tissue biopsy.
Adipose Tissue ; Aged ; alpha-Fetoproteins ; Angiomyolipoma ; Biopsy ; Blood Vessels ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Frozen Sections ; Hand ; Hepatitis B ; Hepatocytes ; Humans ; Keratins ; Liver Function Tests ; Liver ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Melanocytes ; Muscle, Smooth ; Paraffin ; Ultrasonography