Medicina Pulmonar e Respiratória

Spread through Air Spaces Detected in Frozen Sections of Lung Adenocarcinoma is a Sign of Air Space Invasion: A Case Report

Abstract

Noriah Binti Othman, Yuko Akazawa, Yuka Kitamura, Mikiko Hashisako, Tomoshi Tsuchiya, Naoya Yamazaki, Takeshi Nagayasu and Junya Fukuoka

A 70-year-old non-smoking woman was found to have 23 mm sized lung adenocarcinoma. Intraoperative frozen sections were performed which confirmed the diagnosis of adenocarcinoma. Surgical material revealed presence of tumor nests spreading through airspaces (STAS) as far as 9 mm from the edge of the main tumor. Based on the presence of STAS, resection of the remaining left upper lobe was performed after the first operation, and no residual tumor or STAS was detected. A retrospective review of the frozen sections showed the presence of STAS. This report indicates that evaluation of STAS at the time of surgery may help improve the clinical course of a patient undergoing limited resection.