Frozen Section Lab
The Frozen Section Lab at Burjeel Cancer Institute is an essential part of our surgical pathology services, enabling real-time analysis of tissue samples during surgery. This advanced technique allows our pathologists to provide immediate feedback to surgeons regarding the presence or absence of cancerous cells, ensuring that decisions about the extent of surgery can be made with accuracy and confidence. The frozen section process is particularly useful in cancer surgeries, where the goal is to remove the tumor with clear margins while preserving as much healthy tissue as possible.
Key Features
The Frozen Section Lab offers several features that enhance surgical outcomes:
Improved Surgical Precision
Improved Surgical Precision: By providing immediate feedback on the presence of cancerous cells, the frozen section process helps surgeons achieve optimal tumor removal with minimal impact on surrounding healthy tissue.
Intraoperative Pathology Consultation
The close collaboration between surgeons and pathologists ensures that the surgical team has the most accurate and timely information during cancer surgeries.
Immediate Surgical Decision-Making
The results of the frozen section analysis are provided to the surgeon within minutes, allowing for immediate decisions about whether additional tissue needs to be removed to ensure clear margins.
Real-Time Cancer Detection
Tissue samples taken during surgery are rapidly frozen, sectioned, and examined under a microscope by a pathologist to determine if cancerous cells are present.
Cancers Managed with Frozen Section Analysis
Frozen section analysis is used in a wide variety of cancer surgeries to ensure accurate tumor removal, including:
- Breast cancer
- Lung cancer
- Head and neck cancer
- Gynecologic cancers (e.g., ovarian and uterine cancer)
- Prostate cancer
- Thyroid cancer
- Brain tumors
- Gastrointestinal cancers (e.g., colorectal cancer)
- Skin cancers (melanoma and other skin tumors)
- Sarcomas and soft tissue tumors
Benefits of the Frozen Section Lab
Patients undergoing cancer surgery benefit from the Frozen Section Lab's real-time diagnostic capabilities:
Immediate Diagnosis During Surgery
The frozen section process allows for the rapid diagnosis of cancer during surgery, providing surgeons with crucial information about whether cancerous cells remain in the margins of the tissue.
Ensures Complete Tumor Removal
By confirming the absence of cancer cells in the surgical margins, the frozen section analysis helps ensure that the entire tumor has been removed, reducing the likelihood of needing additional surgeries.
Minimally Invasive Surgery
By providing real-time feedback, the frozen section process allows surgeons to minimize the removal of healthy tissue, leading to better functional and cosmetic outcomes.
Shortened Surgery Time
The fast processing time of frozen sections allows surgeons to make immediate decisions during the procedure, reducing overall surgery time and improving patient outcomes.
Our Approach to Surgical Oncology
At Burjeel Cancer Institute, the Frozen Section Lab plays a vital role in our comprehensive approach to cancer surgery:
Multidisciplinary Collaboration
Our team of surgeons, pathologists, and oncologists work together to provide seamless care during cancer surgeries, using real-time frozen section analysis to guide surgical decisions.
Intraoperative Consultation
The close communication between the surgical team and pathologists ensures that the results of the frozen section analysis are interpreted quickly and accurately, allowing for immediate action.
Precision Surgery
We prioritize precision in cancer surgeries, using the frozen section analysis to ensure that the tumor is removed with clear margins, while preserving as much healthy tissue as possible.
Focus on Patient Outcomes
By ensuring that cancer is removed completely during the initial surgery, we aim to reduce the need for additional procedures and improve overall patient outcomes.
Patient Journey
Patients undergoing cancer surgery with frozen section analysis at Burjeel Cancer Institute can expect a well-coordinated and supportive experience:
Pre-Surgical Consultation
A consultation with the surgical team to discuss the planned procedure, including the role of frozen section analysis in ensuring complete tumor removal.
Intraoperative Frozen Section Analysis
During surgery, tissue samples are taken from the tumor margins and immediately sent to the Frozen Section Lab, where a pathologist performs a rapid analysis.
Immediate Surgical Decision-Making
The results of the frozen section analysis are communicated to the surgical team in real-time, allowing for immediate decisions about whether additional tissue should be removed.
Post-Surgery Follow-Up
After the procedure, patients receive a comprehensive report on the surgical outcomes, including confirmation of whether the tumor was completely removed with clear margins.
