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Mucinous tumors of the ovary: interobserver diagnostic variability and utility of sectioning protocols
S S Raab1, R A Robinson, C S Jensen
1Department of Pathology, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City 52241-1009, USA.
Objectives:
To determine the interobserver variability of the subclassification of ovarian mucinous tumors and the utility of different sectioning protocols.
Methods:
Six pathologists retrospectively reclassified 73 mucinous tumors (30 adenomas, 22 low malignant potential tumors, and 21 carcinomas). Using probabilities, the accuracy of limited sectioning protocols was compared with that of a one section per centimeter protocol.
Results:
The mean kappa statistic was 0.56, indicating only good agreement. Although a limited sectioning protocol would result in misdiagnosing cases of stage IA carcinoma as a low malignant potential tumor, the overall prognosis of patients with low malignant potential tumors would not markedly change. The prognosis of a patient with a low malignant potential tumor using limited sectioning was within the prognostic range owing to interobserver variability alone.
Conclusions:
We conclude that extensive sectioning of ovarian mucinous tumors has limited benefit.