Malignant Colorectal Polyps: Are Pathology Reports Sufficient for Decision Making?

This study aims to assess the completeness of pathology reports of T1 colorectal cancers from different healthcare centers and the change of treatment decision after reevaluation of the polyps.

In this single-center retrospective cohort study, several pathology reports of endoscopically excised malignant colorectal polyps at diverse healthcare centers in Turkey were reassessed at a comprehensive cancer center in Istanbul. Reassessment was mainly focused on core elements such as the size of invasive carcinoma, histologic type and grade, tumor extension, surgical margin (deep and mucosal), and lymphovascular invasion.

Sixty-seven endoscopically resected malignant polyps were analyzed. The mean age of patients was 62.2 years and 38 (58%) patients were males. Tumor size, histologic type and grade, surgical margin (deep and mucosal), and lymphovascular invasion were reported in 11%, 100%, 31%, 9%, and 19%, respectively. All 5 prognostic factors were reported only in 1 (1.5%) pathology report. Because of the missing (incomplete) data, the pathologic examination of 59 (88%) patients was determined to be inadequate to make an accurate treatment decision.

Several variables are not considered and frequently missing for decision-making, suggesting the reassessment of the specimen by a second pathologist at a high-volume comprehensive cancer center.