Program Overview
The course provides comprehensive education in:
- Gastrointestinal pathology
- Hepatobiliary and pancreatic pathology
- Breast pathology
- Genitourinary pathology
- Gynecologic pathology
- Inflammatory and neoplastic lesions
- Diagnostic pitfalls and common misdiagnoses
- Histomorphologic assessment
- Immunohistochemistry
- Molecular diagnostics
- Biomarker interpretation
- Cancer grading and classification
- Emerging diagnostic and classification systems
Educational Objectives
Upon completion of the course, participants should be able to:
Gastrointestinal Pathology
- Describe common diagnostic pitfalls in Barrett’s esophagus and Barrett’s-related dysplasia.
- Recognize unusual forms of ulcerative colitis.
- Identify common forms of dysplasia associated with inflammatory bowel disease.
- Evaluate common diagnostic problems involving colorectal polyps.
- Apply practical approaches to the diagnosis and classification of gastrointestinal lesions.
Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Pathology
- Identify common diagnostic pitfalls in pancreaticobiliary pathology.
- Describe the various patterns encountered in medical liver biopsies.
- Recognize common hepatocellular neoplasms.
- Apply appropriate immunohistochemical studies to the diagnosis of hepatocellular neoplasms.
- Evaluate challenging liver and pancreaticobiliary cases using appropriate diagnostic approaches.
Breast Pathology
- Recognize common inflammatory lesions of the breast.
- Apply an algorithmic approach to inflammatory breast lesions.
- Identify diagnostic pitfalls in recognizing triple-negative breast cancers on core needle biopsy.
- Review common papillary lesions of the breast.
- Evaluate spindle cell lesions on core needle biopsy.
- Assess breast and axillary lymph node specimens following neoadjuvant treatment.
Genitourinary Pathology
- Identify common diagnostic pitfalls in genitourinary biopsy interpretation.
- Apply appropriate approaches to cancer grading in prostate core biopsies.
- Recognize important renal cell carcinoma subtypes.
- Identify evolving diagnostic considerations in aggressive renal neoplasms.
- Apply diagnostic pearls and strategies to challenging genitourinary pathology cases.
Gynecologic Pathology
- Recognize important morphologic features and biomarkers associated with endometrial carcinoma.
- Apply contemporary molecular classification principles to endometrial carcinoma.
- Identify diagnostic pitfalls and mimics involving ovarian borderline tumors.
- Describe recent developments in the classification of ovarian cancer.
- Recognize updates in the diagnosis and classification of cervical and vulvar neoplasms.
- Understand the clinical and biological significance of contemporary lower genital tract classification systems.
Curriculum Breakdown
Gastrointestinal Pathology
Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Dysplasia
Review of inflammatory bowel disease pathology, with emphasis on:
- Unusual forms of ulcerative colitis
- IBD-associated dysplasia
- Common diagnostic pitfalls
- Morphologic features of dysplasia
- Differentiating inflammatory changes from neoplastic lesions
- Practical diagnostic strategies
Barrett’s Esophagus and Dysplasia
A practical approach to common diagnostic challenges involving Barrett’s esophagus.
Topics include:
- Barrett’s esophagus
- Barrett’s-related dysplasia
- Common diagnostic pitfalls
- Histologic assessment
- Differential diagnosis
- Strategies for avoiding misdiagnosis
Colorectal Polyps
Review of common problems involving the diagnosis and terminology of colorectal polyps.
Topics include:
- Morphologic assessment
- Diagnostic classification
- Common pitfalls
- Differential diagnosis
- Practical approaches to challenging colorectal specimens
Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Pathology
Hepatocellular Neoplasms
A focused review of common hepatocellular tumors and their diagnostic evaluation.
Topics include:
- Major hepatocellular neoplasms
- Morphologic patterns
- Differential diagnosis
- Immunohistochemical markers
- Ancillary diagnostic testing
- Practical diagnostic approaches
Medical Liver Pathology
Review of common diagnostic challenges in medical liver biopsies.
Topics include:
- Patterns of liver injury
- Medical liver biopsy interpretation
- Diagnostic near misses
- Recognition of important histologic clues
- Differential diagnosis
- Strategies for improving diagnostic accuracy
Pancreaticobiliary Pathology
An update on important diagnostic issues affecting the pancreaticobiliary system.
Topics include:
- Common pancreaticobiliary lesions
- Diagnostic pitfalls
- Classification considerations
- Histopathologic evaluation
- Ancillary testing
- Practical approaches to challenging cases
Breast Pathology
Inflammatory Lesions of the Breast
An algorithmic approach to the diagnosis and classification of inflammatory breast lesions.
Topics include:
- Common inflammatory conditions
- Histologic patterns
- Differential diagnosis
- Diagnostic algorithms
- Ancillary studies when appropriate
Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
Review of diagnostic challenges associated with triple-negative breast cancers on core needle biopsy.
Topics include:
- Histologic recognition
- Common diagnostic pitfalls
- Differential diagnosis
- Immunohistochemistry
- Appropriate ancillary testing
- Practical interpretation of core biopsy specimens
Papillary Lesions of the Breast
A practical diagnostic review of common papillary breast lesions.
Topics include:
- Morphologic features
- Classification
- Differential diagnosis
- Benign and malignant papillary lesions
- Diagnostic pitfalls
Spindle Cell Lesions of the Breast
Evaluation of spindle cell lesions encountered in breast core needle biopsies.
Topics include:
- Morphologic patterns
- Differential diagnosis
- Benign and malignant spindle cell lesions
- Ancillary testing
- Immunohistochemical evaluation
Breast and Axillary Lymph Nodes After Neoadjuvant Therapy
Review of specimen evaluation in the neoadjuvant setting, including:
- Breast specimens
- Axillary lymph nodes
- Treatment response
- Histopathologic assessment
- Diagnostic considerations following systemic therapy
Breast Pathology Case Review
A slide-based review of selected breast pathology cases designed to reinforce diagnostic recognition and practical interpretation.
Genitourinary Pathology
Prostate Cancer Grading
A practical approach to grading prostate cancer in core biopsy specimens.
Topics include:
- Histologic grading
- Cancer grading principles
- Common diagnostic challenges
- Interpretation of prostate core biopsies
- Avoiding grading pitfalls
Renal Cell Carcinoma
Review of aggressive renal cell carcinoma subtypes and contemporary diagnostic considerations.
Topics include:
- Renal cell carcinoma classification
- Aggressive tumor subtypes
- Morphologic features
- Differential diagnosis
- Biomarkers and ancillary testing
- Evolving classification approaches
Diagnostic Pearls and Pitfalls
A practical review of challenging genitourinary pathology cases, emphasizing:
- Common diagnostic pitfalls
- Biopsy interpretation
- Morphologic clues
- Differential diagnosis
- Appropriate ancillary studies
- Strategies for improving diagnostic confidence
Gynecologic Pathology
Endometrial Carcinoma
Review of contemporary approaches to the diagnosis and classification of endometrial carcinoma.
Topics include:
- Histomorphology
- Biomarkers
- Molecular classification
- Diagnostic integration of morphology and ancillary testing
- Clinical significance of classification systems
Ovarian Borderline Tumors
Focus on diagnostic pitfalls and important mimics associated with ovarian borderline tumors.
Topics include:
- Morphologic assessment
- Common mimics
- Differential diagnosis
- Classification
- Strategies to avoid diagnostic errors
Ovarian Cancer Classification
Review of recent developments in ovarian cancer classification, including evolving concepts in tumor diagnosis and categorization.
Cervical and Vulvar Neoplasms
An update on the diagnosis and classification of cervical and vulvar malignancies.
Topics include:
- Cervical neoplasia
- Vulvar neoplasia
- Contemporary classification systems
- Biologically and clinically meaningful diagnostic approaches
- Morphologic assessment
- Ancillary testing
Ancillary Diagnostic Techniques
A key component of the program is the practical application of ancillary testing in surgical pathology.
Immunohistochemistry
The course addresses the appropriate use and interpretation of immunohistochemical studies in challenging diagnostic situations, including:
- Tumor classification
- Differential diagnosis
- Hepatocellular neoplasms
- Breast lesions
- Genitourinary tumors
- Gynecologic malignancies
Molecular Diagnostics
Participants will also explore the role of molecular diagnostics and biomarkers in modern pathology, including their contribution to:
- Tumor classification
- Endometrial carcinoma diagnosis
- Cancer subtyping
- Prognostic assessment
- Contemporary pathology workflows
Target Audience
The 9th Annual Surgical Pathology Update is designed for healthcare professionals involved in diagnostic pathology, including:
- Practicing pathologists
- Surgical pathologists
- Pathology residents
- Pathology fellows
- Medical students
- Healthcare professionals with an interest in diagnostic pathology
Comprehensive Surgical Pathology Update
The 9th Annual Surgical Pathology Update: Diagnostic Pearls for the Practicing Pathologist provides a comprehensive review of the diagnostic challenges encountered across major surgical pathology subspecialties.
The curriculum emphasizes accurate diagnosis, recognition of diagnostic pitfalls, morphologic interpretation, differential diagnosis, immunohistochemistry, molecular diagnostics, and contemporary classification systems.
By combining practical diagnostic pearls with focused reviews of gastrointestinal, hepatobiliary/pancreatic, breast, genitourinary, and gynecologic pathology, the program is designed to support practicing pathologists in maintaining and advancing their diagnostic knowledge and skills.
