Does Cryofixation of Skin Specimens Affect Quality of Subsequent Formalin Fixed Paraffin Embedded H and E Histology

July 29, 2019 updated by: Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania

Does Cryofixation of Skin Specimens Affect Quality of Subsequent Formalin Fixed Paraffin Embedded H&E Histology

This prospective study of 60 slides of basal and squamous cell carcinomas of the skin aims to determine whether:

  1. The process of cryofixation prior to generating formalin fixed paraffin embedded (FFPE) H&E sections alters the histology in skin tumor specimens.
  2. Which specific histologic parameters are altered between previously cryofixed versus routine FFPE sections. Histologic observations will be recorded by two dermatopathologists and two Mohs surgeons and statistically analyzed.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Detailed Description

Generating formalin fixed paraffin embedded (FFPE) hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) stained permanent sections from previously cryofixed tissue is a common practice used to confirm diagnosis of frozen section histology. In dermatology, this practice can be used to examine Mohs layers and its debulk as well as routine nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC) biopsies after initial histologic diagnosis with frozen sections. Even though freezing tissue can introduce histologic artifacts, there have been no studies documenting whether this occurs specifically in cryofixed tissues that are subsequently thawed for permanent FFPE H&E histology. The purpose of our study is to determine whether the freeze-thaw process used to generate permanent sections after cryofixation introduces significantly detectable histologic differences compared to permanent sections that were not previously cryofixed. Thirty debulk specimens of basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas will be prospectively collected. Each specimen will be split so that half is processed as cryofixed permanents and the other half as noncryofixed permanents. The investigator will show each slide in random order to a group of four blinded participants (two dermatopathologists and two Mohs surgeons). Each participant must first rate the overall quality of histology. Then, each participant will rate each slide on the quality of cellular morphology, nuclear morphology, color and contrast of stains, intactness of specimen, and other miscellaneous artifacts. These data will then be analyzed for statistical significance.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Observational

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
180

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Pennsylvania
      • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, 19104
        • Abramsonc Cancer Center of The University of Pennsylvania

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Sampling Method

Probability Sample

Study Population

All patients will be recruited from the Mohs unit of the HUP Department of Dermatology

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Adult patients (age 18 or over) with a biopsy proven routine basal cell or squamous cell carcinoma of the skin who are scheduled for treatment with the Mohs procedure by Dr. Christopher Miller at the University of Pennsylvania's Division of Dermatologic Surgery will be included. Both female and male patients will be included.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Patients with basal cell or squamous cell carcinomas of more complex histopathology will be excluded from the study. Complex histopathology of a tumor is defined as features with aggressive, moderately to poorly differentiated, or unusual histopathology.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Number of Adverse Events
Time Frame: October 2016 to March 2018
October 2016 to March 2018

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Christopher Miller, MD, Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
February 1, 2012

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
January 1, 2013

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
January 1, 2013

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
February 9, 2012

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
February 23, 2012

First Posted (Estimate)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
February 29, 2012

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
July 31, 2019

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
July 29, 2019

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
July 1, 2019

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • UPCC 25911

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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