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

Completed

Conditions

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

Observational

Enrollment (Actual)

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

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

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

Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania

Investigators

  • 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

February 1, 2012

Primary Completion (Actual)

January 1, 2013

Study Completion (Actual)

January 1, 2013

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

February 9, 2012

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

February 23, 2012

First Posted (Estimate)

February 29, 2012

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

July 31, 2019

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

July 29, 2019

Last Verified

July 1, 2019

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID 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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