The application of rapid ultrasound-guided paraffin technique in the pathological examination of biopsy specimens from non-small cell lung cancer

To evaluate the feasibility and benefits of a rapid ultrasound-guided paraffin embedding technique for pathological examination of CT-guided biopsy specimens in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. Clinical and pathological data from 100 NSCLC patients undergoing CT-guided lung biopsy at the 900th Hospital were retrospectively analyzed. Fifty cases were processed using the rapid paraffin technique and 50 with conventional methods. Analyses included hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining, immunohistochemical staining for NSCLC markers (e.g., TTF-1, CK7, PD-L1), and ARMS quantitative fluorescence PCR. Primary and secondary outcomes were reporting time, staining quality, and molecular detection efficiency. HE staining in the rapid paraffin group showed comparable nuclear and cytoplasmic contrast to the control group, with no significant differences in staining quality or molecular detection efficiency (P > 0.05). DNA and RNA extraction concentrations were similar between groups, as were mutation detection rates (62% vs. 68%, P > 0.05). Pathological reporting times were significantly shorter in the rapid paraffin group, with HE and immunohistochemistry reporting times of 0.5 ± 0.2 and 3.4 ± 1.4 days, respectively, compared to 2.0 ± 0.4 and 4.0 ± 1.4 days in the control group (P < 0.05). The rapid ultrasound-guided paraffin embedding technique provides comparable quality to conventional methods while significantly reducing pathological reporting time, making it a promising alternative for clinical application.