Factors affecting the diagnostic discordance between frozen and
permanent sections in mucinous ovarian tumors
Abstract
Objectives. To investigate the accuracy of intraoperative frozen
section (FS) diagnosis for predicting the permanent section (PS)
diagnosis of mucinous ovarian tumors and evaluate the factors affecting
the diagnostic discordance. Methods. This retrospective cohort
study was performed in Tianjin Medical University General Hospital. All
women who underwent mucinous ovarian tumor (MOT) surgery with FS between
January 2011 and December 2022 were identified. Clinical and pathologic
data were extracted. Results. A total of 180 women were included,
of which 141 (78.33%) had diagnostic concordance between FS and PS,
yielding a sensitivity of 83.43% and a positive predictive value (PPV)
of 92.76%. Under-diagnosis and over-diagnosis occurred in 28 cases
(15.56%) and 11 cases (6.11%). Tumor size > 13cm (OR
3.79, 95% CI 1.12-12.73) was an independent risk factor for
under-diagnosis, and tumor size ≤ 13cm (OR 16.78, 95% CI 0.01-0.49),
laparoscopic surgery (OR 0.14, 95% CI 0.02-0.92), the combination of
other tumor components (including serous, Brenner tumor, and chocolate
cyst; OR 7.00, 95% CI 1.19-41.12) were independently associated with
over-diagnosis. The Kaplan-Meier survival curves and the log-rank test
showed no significant difference between misdiagnosed and accurately
diagnosed patients (all P > 0.05). Conclusion.
Intraoperative frozen pathology of MOT is problematic for under- and
overdiagnosis. The incorrect diagnosis of FS was related to determining
the extent of surgery but had no impact on the patients’ long-term
recurrence and survival outcomes. Surgeons need to obtain material
accurately and enhance communication with pathologists during the
operation to improve the accuracy of FS diagnosis.