The Diagnostic Accuracy of an Intraoperative Frozen Section Analysis and Imprint Cytology of Sentinel Node Biopsy Specimens from Patients with Uterine Cervical and Endometrial Cancer: a Retrospective Observational Study

Sentinel node biopsy (SNB) may be a decision-making tool for function preservation surgery, including radical trachelectomy and ovary preservation in the treatment of cervical and endometrial cancer. The intraoperative diagnosis is important for guiding treatment decisions for patients with these conditions. Three hundred seventy-one patients with cervical and endometrial cancer received SNB with an intraoperative frozen section analysis and imprint cytology. The sentinel node was cut in half, parallel to the longest axis, to obtain the maximum section area. After performing imprint cytology, one half was used to create a frozen section. The specimen was cut at 2-mm intervals into 5-μm-thick sections, which were subjected to hematoxylin and eosin staining. The diagnostic accuracy of intraoperative frozen section analyses and imprint cytology was compared to the final pathological diagnosis. Among 951 detected sentinel nodes, 51 nodes were found to be positive in the final pathological diagnosis. The sensitivity of a frozen section analysis, imprint cytology and the combination of the two modalities was 76.5%, 72.6%, and 92.2%, respectively. The specificity of a frozen section analysis and imprint cytology was 100%. The negative predictive value of a frozen section analysis and imprint cytology was 98.7% and 98.5%, respectively. In these settings, the accuracy of the frozen section analysis and imprint cytology in the evaluation of SNB specimens was considered acceptable; however, the sensitivity of the combined approach was higher in comparison to when a frozen section analysis or imprint cytology was performed alone.