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Observer variability in histopathological reporting of malignant bronchial biopsy specimens
R A Burnett1, J Swanson Beck, S R Howatson
1University of Glasgow Department of Pathology, Western Infirmary.
Aims:
To evaluate the ability of histopathologists to classify lung carcinomas on bronchial biopsy material using the current World Health Organisation (WHO) classification.
Methods:
Eleven histopathologists each reviewed 100 randomly selected bronchial biopsy specimens which had originally been reported as showing lung carcinoma. A single haematoxylin and eosin stained section from each case was circulated and a standard proforma completed. These were analysed using kappa statistics.
Results:
The histopathologists were excellent at distinguishing between small cell and non-small-cell carcinoma kappa = 0.86), but not so good at subclassifying the non-small cell carcinoma group kappa = 0.25).
Conclusions:
The clinically important distinction between small cell and non-small cell carcinoma of the lung is reliably made by competent histopathologists even on limited material.