Gastrointestinal pathology emerged as a subspecialty in the early 1980s, coincident with development of endoscopy and mucosal biopsy for diagnosis and management of patients with gastrointestinal disorders. Since that time, changes in tissue acquisition techniques and ancillary testing have drastically transformed the discipline; current practice bears little resemblance to that of our mentors. The past two decades have seen an explosion in the number and types of biopsy samples pathologists encounter in daily practice. Virtually every part of the tubular gut is now amenable to visualization and sampling, and most liver biopsies are performed by radiologists who utilize small-caliber needles. As a result, pathologists are expected to generate comprehensive and accurate differential diagnoses for a variety of inflammatory and neoplastic disorders based on limited biopsy material. Pathologists must be able to hone in on key features in order to narrow the differential diagnosis and facilitate patient management. This course in a charming small city on the north coast of Spain provides an ideal venue and faculty for learning what you need to improve your practice as a general surgical pathologist, gastrointestinal diagnostic specialist or pathologist-in-training.

All instruction will be given in the Aquarium Auditorium but attendees have access to the aquarium exhibits and to the exceptional Bokado restaurant (Chef Mikel Santamaria). There are several pintxo bars adjacent to the aquarium and "old town" is a short walk, so that registrants may engage in the culture of San Sebastian by having the pintox experience at lunch and the end of the instructional day.

USCAP Presents:
An Oasis of Gastrointestinal Pathology

Diagnostic gastrointestinal pathology is experiencing dynamic, fluid changes that require the attention of surgical pathologists who specialize in this area or who sign-out biopsies from the GI tract and liver. There are updates in the AJCC staging of mucinous neoplasms of the appendix and conceptual changes in interpreting appendectomy samples containing luminal and extra-appendiceal mucin; there is confusion about the diagnosis and outcome of so-called goblet cell carcinoid, and a new classification scheme is available; Barrett’s esophagus is often over-diagnosed but a new method informs separation of reactive changes from low-grade and indefinite dysplasia; spindle cell tumors can be separated morphologically and by their molecular features; overlapping patterns of injury are encountered in disease and iatrogenic conditions, but can be separated; liver pathology has become more challenging in the context of treatment for Hepatitis C; certain infections may be mistaken for inflammatory disease, requiring criteria for identification and diagnosis. This faculty derived from the Rodger C. Haggitt Gastrointestinal Pathology Society (GIPS) is poised to provide the latest information in these challenging areas in a unique mentoring environment.

USCAP Presents:
Interactive Microscopy with Authors of the Fascicles

Course Location: Palm Springs, CA
Course Directors: Jason L. Hornick, M.D., Ph.D. and Elizabeth A. Montgomery, M.D.