Changes in histological diagnosis in soft tissue tumours from biopsy to final surgery specimen: causes and consequences

• Published in: European surgery Vol. 41; no. 4; pp. 150 - 154
• Main Authors: Maurer-Ertl, W., Leithner, A., Tauber, S., Fröhlich, E. V., Kuerzl, G., Glehr, M., Zacherl, M., Liegl, B., Windhager, R.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Vienna Springer-Verlag 01.08.2009
• Subjects: Abdominal Surgery; Cardiac Surgery; General Surgery; Main Topic; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Surgery; Vascular Surgery; Sampling error; Sarcoma; Biopsy; Soft tissue; Weichteiltumor; Sarkom; Biopsie
• ISSN: 1682-8631; 1682-4016
• DOI: 10.1007/s10353-009-0475-8

Summary BACKGROUND: Owing to several causes, incorrect primary histological diagnoses in soft tissue tumours still occur. Therefore we analysed our database for soft tissue tumours to determine the number of histological diagnoses which had to be revised and looked for potential causes leading to revisions of initial diagnosis. METHODS: We selected all 663 patients with a soft tissue tumour listed in our database over a period of ten years (01.12.1998 to 20.11.2008). Subsequently we identified all cases, where the final histological diagnosis differed from initial diagnosis. RESULTS: Among patients from referring institutions the final diagnosis had to be corrected in 20.3% (28/138 cases) with therapeutic relevance in 8.0% (11/138 cases). At our tumour centre the initial biopsy diagnosis had to be corrected in 5.5% (29/525 cases), with therapeutic relevance in 3.0% (16/525 cases). Overall in 4.2% (15/358) failure in diagnoses was due to sampling errors. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study underline the importance of an interdisciplinary team specialised in soft tissue tumours to achieve high rates of primary correct diagnosis at the beginning of the treatment of these tumours.