Surgical Frozen Section Accuracy

A recent article in Pathology Case Reviews discussed a case report of a head and neck cancer. Frozen sections are routinely requested by surgeons performing carcinoma resection. Frozen sections assist the surgeon in identifying complete resection of the tumor(s) which impacts patient survival. Accuracy of the frozen section is paramount. "The evaluation of margin status can present many challenges including how to define a positive or safe surgical margin, whether the presence of intraepithelial dysplasia is significant, and how to sample margins of the specimen." The case studied presented recommends methodology and interpretation of margin status.