Diagnosing Musculoskeletal Tumours

[摘要] In 1993 we became aware of a worrying increase in apparent errors in the histopathological diagnosis of musculoskeletaltumours in our Unit. As a result all cases seen over the past 8 years were reviewed by an independent panel. Of the 1996cases reviewed there was an error in 87. In 54 cases (2.7%) this had led to some significant change in the active managementof the patient. The main areas where errors arose were in those very cases where clinical and radiological features were nothelpful in confirming or refuting the diagnosis. The incidence of errors rose with the passage of time, possibly related to adeterioration in the pathologist’s health. The error rate in diagnosing bone tumours in previously published series rangesfrom 9 to 40%. To ensure as accurate a rate of diagnosis as possible multidisciplinary working and regular audit are essential.

[学科分类] 肿瘤学