# Frozen Section



## lrdemarco (Jan 28, 2013)

I am having a PT on Thursday. I would like to hear from people who had their thyca diagnosis during their surgery. Did your surgeon do a frozen section? If so, was it accurate? I had a FNA last year and it showed benign. But my nodule grew significantly. So, instead of getting a FNA every year, I opted for surgery. My surgeon said he will do a frozen section but that they aren't completely accurate and we won't have the complete results back for a week. I just wanted to hear from people who didn't know they had cancer until their surgery and hear what that experience is like. Thanks for your help!


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## KeepOnGoing (Jan 2, 2013)

I didn't know I had cancer until 2 weeks after a PT. I then had the other half removed some weeks later. If someone had offered me the option of a frozen section (assuming, as you say, it's accurate) I'd have taken it! There's something particularly depressing about having the same surgery twice - and in my case (and this doesn't seem to be everyone's experience, by a long way) the second surgery was more difficult and unpleasant than the first.

I guess the question is, what happens if the frozen section turns out to be inaccurate? You could find you do need another operation when you thought you didn't. Or that you had half your thyroid removed when there was no reason to do so. It's a difficult one.


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## Octavia (Aug 1, 2011)

My surgeon did a frozen section during my partial thyroidectomy. It was negative for cancer. Full pathology (a week later) was positive for papillary carcinoma. My surgeon had also warned me about the lack of accuracy of the frozen section.


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## lrdemarco (Jan 28, 2013)

Thank you for the info. I guess all I can do is hope for the best. I don't want to have a second surgery but I want to save half of my thyroid if I can.


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## Octavia (Aug 1, 2011)

Yep...you pretty much summed it up!


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## Abcdefg (Mar 16, 2012)

My surgeon said he doesn't trust frozen sections as they come back negative a good chunk of the time. He never ordered one, so I waited 2 weeks after my PT to get the final path.


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## lrdemarco (Jan 28, 2013)

I had my PT yesterday. The frozen section came back negative. Keep your fingers crossed that the pathology report shows benign. Even though this hasn't been a horrible experience, I really don't want to do it again.


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## KeepOnGoing (Jan 2, 2013)

I've got my fingers (and toes!) crossed for you - sounds promising!

How are you feeling?


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## lrdemarco (Jan 28, 2013)

Good news...NO CANCER! YEA! Now I can get on with my life and hopefully put all of this behind me. Thank you guys for all of your support.


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## KeepOnGoing (Jan 2, 2013)

That's brilliant news! Congratulations!!


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## Octavia (Aug 1, 2011)

Great news!!!!


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