This inaugural co-branded interactive microscopy course presents the synergistic union of expert surgical pathologists from the prestigious Arthur Purdy Stout Society and from USCAP, collaborating (through education of pathologists) to eliminate a variety of practice gaps in diagnostic surgical pathology. For example, there is a misdiagnosis rate of about 10% in breast biopsies, but for some notoriously problematic lesions, the rate is even higher.

A review of the literature and the collective clinical experience of this faculty as consultant surgical pathologists have clearly documented areas in diagnostic surgical pathology that remain problematic even for experienced pathologists. Examples include the categorization of proliferative breast lesions, cervical intraepithelial neoplasia, small glandular proliferations in the prostate, and soft tissue lesions. With the frequent use of core needle biopsy, pathologists are often faced with the challenge of distinguishing these entities on small specimen samples.

The value of this course is its intent to eliminate diagnostic errors by highlighting pitfalls and approaches to resolve them using routine microscopic examination of H&E-stained sections and immuno-stains. The role of newer adjunctive molecular tests will also be discussed where appropriate. Thus, this course addresses medical knowledge and competence with the goal of improving clinical practice.

Course Location: Palm Springs, CA
Course Director: Laura C. Collins, M.D.