Diagnostic Accuracy of Frozen Section in detecting malignant ovarian tumour

Abstract

Background: Early detection of the nature of the tumor is crucial for the management of patients with ovarian tumor. Ovarian cancer is a leading cause of death for women with gynecological cancers. Accurate frozen sections are crucial for improving the outcome and quality of life for patients with ovarian tumors.
Objective: To compare the accuracy of Frozen Section in detecting malignant ovarian tumour.
Materials and Methods: It was a cross sectional analytical study Department of Gynecological Oncology, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) and National Institution of Cancer Research & Hospital (NICRH), Dhaka during May 2022 to April 2023. Total 65 patients attending at the inpatient department at BSMMU and NICRH with ovarian tumor was enrolled for the study. A total data on 65 patients were collected who were operated frozen sections were sent intraoperatively. The results were compared with the final histopathology report, and the accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were analyzed for diagnosing benign, borderline, and malignant masses.
Results: The sensitivity was highest for benign ovarian tumors, which were 90%; the specificity, accuracy, positive and negative predictive values for benign ovarian tumors were 91.43%, 91.43%, 90.0%, and 91.43%, respectively; and the specificity, accuracy, positive and negative predictive values for borderline ovarian tumors were 96.77%, 91.67%, 50.0%, and 94.12%, respectively. Malignant ovarian tumors had sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive and negative predictive values of 87.50%, 84.85%, 87.50%, 84.85, and 87.50%, respectively.
Conclusion: Intra-operative frozen section is a valuable and necessary test for identifying both benign and malignant ovarian tumors, yet there are certain limitations when it comes to detecting borderline ovarian malignancies.