Frozen-section diagnosis of small adenocarcinoma of the lung for intentional limited surgery.
OBJECTIVE
To determine if Noguchi's classification can be evaluated accurately by frozen-section diagnosis before limited surgery.


METHODS
We performed frozen-section diagnosis in 31 of 343 patients who underwent excision of primary lung cancer at our hospital between 1993 and 2004. All 31 patients had pulmonary adenocarcinoma, with a tumor diameter of < or = 20 mm. There were 20 men and 11 women, ranging in age from 42 to 79 years (mean, 63.2 years). We assessed the rate of correct Noguchi's classification by categorizing all lesions into the following three groups on the basis of tumor diameter: < or = 10 mm, 11-15 mm, and 16-20 mm.


RESULTS
The overall rate of correct frozen-section diagnosis during surgery was 67.7%; being 100%, 41.7%, and 70% in the < or = 10 mm, 11-15 mm, and 16-20 mm groups, respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
Limited surgery for primary lung cancer can be performed when the tumor diameter is < or = 10 mm, by confirming it as either type A or B according to Noguchi's classification, using frozen-section diagnosis. Thus, examination of frozen sections might be an important diagnostic procedure before intentional limited surgery for lung cancer.
Suda
Takashi
T
Division of Thoracic Surgery, Fujita Health University School of Medicine, 1-98 Dengakugakubo, Kutsukake, Toyoake, Aichi 470-1192, Japan.
Mizoguchi
Yoshikazu
Y
Hasegawa
Sachiko
S
Negi
Koji
K
Hattori
Yoshinobu
Y
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000145:classification / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D005629:Frozen Sections; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000145:classification / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011013:Pneumonectomy / Q000379:methods