Accuracy of intraoperative frozen section in surgical staging of endometrial cancer.

OBJECTIVE

This study evaluates the role of frozen section (FS) in determining the extent of disease during surgery.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This study retrospectively analyzed a cohort of patients diagnosed with endometrioid-type endometrial cancer between 2019 and 2022 who underwent surgical intervention. The frozen section (FS) results were compared with the final pathology reports, focusing on tumor grade, depth of myometrial invasion, cervical involvement, and tumor diameter.

RESULTS

The final analysis included 187 patients. The predictive accuracy of FS in determining PS results was 85.6 % for endometrioid histology, 95.7 % for grade 3 tumors, 90.2 % for depth of myometrial invasion, 89.7 % for cervical involvement, and 95.9 % for tumor diameter. Notably, 9.8 % of cases initially classified as grade 1 intraoperatively were upgraded with the final pathology. Similarly, 6.3 % of grade II cases were upgraded, while 60.4 % were downgraded.

CONCLUSION

Our study highlights the effectiveness of FS as a dependable tool for assessing endometrial carcinomas and guiding surgical staging decisions. By utilizing FS, the risk of unnecessary surgeries and associated morbidity in patients can be reduced.