Sinonasal malignancy: What to do with an unexpected pathology result?

BACKGROUND

Endoscopic sinus surgery has become the mainstay in surgical treatment of sinusitis and nasal polyps. While rare, diagnostic discrepancies or pathological contamination during routine specimen analysis has been described. Thus, an accurate diagnosis and indication for surgery are mandatory before proceeding with surgical intervention.

METHODS

We present the case of a 40-year-old female patient who underwent endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) for chronic sinusitis without nasal polyposis and fragments of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) were found in the pathology specimen.

RESULTS

We propose an algorithm to help guide physicians presented with a tissue diagnosis that does not match the clinical scenario. Moreover, we discuss strategies to help prevent medical errors and the importance of DNA genetic analysis in this situation.

CONCLUSION

When an unexpected diagnosis occurs, the pathology slides should be reviewed for a second opinion. If the unexpected diagnosis is confirmed, the tissue should undergo STR genetic analysis to ensure against tissue contamination.