Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 2, 2026
08:57
Identifying, Diagnosing, and Grading Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumors in Genetically Engineered Mouse Models
Published on: May 17, 2024
Clinico-pathological discrepancies in the diagnoses of solid malignancies
Lea Tenenholz Grinberg1, Luiz Fernando Ferraz da Silva, Ana Carolina Galtarossa Xavier
1Department of Pathology, Sao Paulo University Medical School, and Albert Einstein Research and Education Institute, Albert Einstein Hospital, São Paulo, Brazil. leagrinberg@usp.br
Pathology, Research and Practice
|August 30, 2008
Summary
Autopsy reveals significant diagnostic errors in solid tumors. Over a third of cancer cases showed discrepancies between clinical and autopsy findings, highlighting a need for improved diagnostic accuracy.
Area of Science:
- Pathology
- Oncology
- Medical Diagnostics
Background:
- Solid malignancies often present with prolonged symptoms, necessitating complex diagnostic procedures like imaging and biopsies.
- Discrepancies between clinical diagnoses and postmortem findings are common in these challenging cases.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the frequency of clinico-pathological discrepancies in the diagnosis of solid malignancies.
- To analyze the types of diagnostic errors (undiagnosed vs. misdiagnosed) in solid tumors.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective review of patient charts and autopsy reports from a Brazilian academic hospital (2001-2003).
- Analysis of 264 patients with at least one non-incidental solid neoplasm.
- Classification of cases into concordant and discordant groups based on cancer diagnosis.
Main Results:
- A significant clinico-pathological discrepancy rate of 37.1% was observed in solid malignancies.
- Liver, lung, and pancreatic cancers were the most frequent malignancies in discordant cases.
- Misdiagnosis, including incorrect primary site or histological type, accounted for 68% of discrepancies.
Conclusions:
- High rates of diagnostic discrepancies persist in solid malignancies, indicating diagnostic deficiencies.
- Autopsies are crucial for identifying these deficiencies and improving future diagnostic accuracy.
- Further research is needed to understand and mitigate diagnostic errors in oncology.