Accuracy of intraoperative frozen section in assessing margins in oral cancers: A tertiary care hospital based study

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Original Article

Author Details : Surabhi Pandey*, Swarneet Bhamra, Ankita Singh

Volume : 7, Issue : 3, Year : 2020

Article Page : 415-419

https://doi.org/10.18231/j.ijpo.2020.082

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Abstract

Introduction: To study the accuracy of intraoperative frozen section diagnosis in assessing margins in
oral cancer resection. But reliability of frozen sections in predicting the ultimate final margin status is
unknown. We compared frozen and permanent reads to identify risk factors for overall discrepancies
between intraoperative and final margin status.
Aims and Objective: To evaluate the role of frozen section diagnosis as a guide in resection of oral cancer
lesions.
Material and Methods: Pathology reports of 284 surgical resections specimens between 2018 and 2020
were retrospectively reviewed. A total of 104 cases (470) margins) met inclusion criteria. The reports of
frozen sections are compared with the results of histologic findings obtained by routine paraffin embedded
Haematoxylin and Eosin method.
Result: The comparison of the section from margins i.e. anterior, posterior, medial, lateral and deep,
altogether 470 margins from 104 patients showed concordance in 437 margins, i.e. 446 margins were
negative in both frozen section and Paraffin method and 16 margins were positive in both frozen section
and Paraffin method. 22 margins were positive in paraffin method. 18 margins were positive in frozen
section. The eight margins showed disagreement in frozen section and paraffin embedded Haematoxylin
and Eosin method.
Conclusion: Individual frozen section reads are highly accurate. However, negative intraoperative
margins do not guarantee margin-negative resections. The process of selecting representative margins for
intraoperative analysis should be refined. The surgeon and the pathologist must understand the limitations
of frozen sections.

Keywords: Frozen section, Oral cancer, Tumor margin.

How to cite : Pandey S , Bhamra S , Singh A , Accuracy of intraoperative frozen section in assessing margins in oral cancers: A tertiary care hospital based study. Indian J Pathol Oncol 2020;7(3):415-419

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