[Guidelines for preparation of uterine surgical specimen]

Tumor classification, grading and staging of malignant tumors of the cervix and corpus uteri should be done according to the rules of the WHO fascicle of 1994 and the TNM manual of 1997, respectively. With these lines taking into account, the surgical pathology report will include the most important prognostic factors, which in part are also of therapeutic relevance, i.e. localization of the lesion, depth of invasion and distant tumor manifestation. Yet, gross inspection and preparation are the prerequisites of the quality of the histopathological statement. Accurate documentation of tumor extension, depth of invasion into the cervical stroma and/or the myometrium and distance to the resection lines at the vaginal cuff and the parametrium needs to be given in centimeters, first by eye, than controlled by histopathology. The tumor extension of cervical carcinomas should be given in three dimensions, including the depth of invasion into the cervical wall. It is also mandatory to document the number and size of lymph nodes with metastatic involvement compared to the total number of nodes which are discovered in parametral, pelvioperitoneal and paraaortal sites. Most of what has been outlined for the surgical pathology report of hysterectomy specimens is also pertinent to conisations, by whatever method these are performed (cold knife, laser or loop). For appropriate documentation of the localization of the lesion, horizontal expansion of the dysplastic lesion and recognition of microinvasion it is sufficient to dissect the conisation specimen clockwise and to cut the various paraffin blocks in serial sections.