Validity of frozen section in the diagnosis of breast lumps: 5 years experience at the Aga Khan University Hospital.

OBJECTIVE To determine the accuracy of frozen section in the diagnosis of breast lump. METHODS Frozen section diagnosis given in consecutive breast biopsies performed in 5 years in our laboratory was evaluated against the final pathology report of permanent sections. RESULTS The Aga Khan University Hospital Lab receives more than 400 cases per year for frozen section. Three hundred and nineteen consecutive frozen sections of breast lumps examined from 1999-2003 were considered for analysis. Age of patients ranged between 22 and 90 years (mean age 49 years). In 316 cases (99%) there was no difference between the frozen section diagnosis and the final diagnosis. Three cases (0.94%) were incorrect; 2 cases (0.62%) were false positive. One case was false negative (0.31%). In 7 cases (2.19%), frozen section diagnosis was deferred to permanent sections. Frozen section diagnostic accuracy was 99%. Sensitivity and specificity was 99.3% and 93% respectively. Positive predictive value and negative predictive values of frozen section were 96.6% and 99.3% respectively. CONCLUSION High accuracy of the frozen-section diagnosis in the breast lumps was confirmed in our study