title: Pinning out pathological specimens--are we risking an unnecessary escalation of treatment?
abstract: The importance of surgical resection margins is paramount, and it is vital that they are accurately delineated so that clinicians' decisions about adjuvant treatment can be validated. Pathological specimens therefore are often pinned to aid orientation and maintain mucosal margins. However, in cadaveric resections of bovine tongues, pinning of the specimens significantly reduced the depth of tissue. In clinical practice, if results are affected by the fixation method and not based on the true margins, it could profoundly influence the use of adjuvant treatment in patients with cancer. Pinning the specimens with the mucosal surface against the board will maintain any theoretical benefit for the mucosa and does not compress the specimens.
authors: University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN, United Kingdom. Electronic address: iainvarley@gmail.com.
authors: I
authors: I
authors: Varley
authors: Hull Royal Infirmary, Anlaby Road, Hull HU3 2JZ, United Kingdom. Electronic address: Bipin.Mathew@hey.nhs.uk.
authors: B
authors: B
authors: Mathew
authors: Hull Royal Infirmary, Anlaby Road, Hull HU3 2JZ, United Kingdom. Electronic address: Laszlo.Karsai@hey.nhs.uk.
authors: L
authors: L
authors: Karsai
authors: Hull Royal Infirmary, Anlaby Road, Hull HU3 2JZ, United Kingdom. Electronic address: Stephen.Crank@hey.nhs.uk.
authors: S T
authors: ST
authors: Crank
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D004396:Coloring Agents; D004801:Eosine Yellowish-(YS); D005404:Fixatives; D005557:Formaldehyde; D006416:Hematoxylin; D009061:Mouth Mucosa / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D011897:Random Allocation; D016707:Tissue Fixation / Q000379:methods*; D014059:Tongue / Q000033:anatomy & histology*
chemical_list: D004396:Coloring Agents; D005404:Fixatives; D005557:Formaldehyde; D004801:Eosine Yellowish-(YS); D006416:Hematoxylin
keywords: Adjuvant treatment; Histopathology; Margins; Oncology