title: Shrinkage of head and neck cancer specimens after formalin fixation.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  We conducted this study to investigate whether formalin fixation is associated with the shrinkage of head and neck cancer specimens.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients scheduled to undergo operation were eligible for enrollment. Fresh specimens were measured immediately in the operating room, and the measurements were repeated after formalin fixation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 100 specimens were collected. Nearly half of them were obtained from the oral cavity (n=49), and a large majority were squamous cell carcinoma (n=69). The average decreases in length, width, and depth after formalin fixation were 1.50mm (4.40%), 1.52 mm (6.18%), and 0.67 mm (4.10%), respectively. There was no significant difference in the shrinkage percentage associated with gender, age, tumor site, tumor size, or histology.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We found that head and neck cancer specimens shrink after formalin fixation. Therefore, we recommend that the specimen be measured immediately in order to avoid the underestimation of tumor size.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: Chih-Hon
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Meng-Yu
authors.initials: MY
authors.lastname: Hsu
authors.forename: Rong-San
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: Sheng-Heng
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Fun-Jou
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Shih-An
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D005557:Formaldehyde; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D016707:Tissue Fixation; D047368:Tumor Burden
chemical_list: D005557:Formaldehyde