USCAP Presents:
Pearls and Palms in Surgical Pathology

Join expert pathologists as they guide you through the nomenclature, staging, and ancillary studies for your everyday surgical pathology practice. Faculty will help distinguish between what looks atypical but benign from those that look bland but are malignant. Through the case-based discussion at the Palm Springs Interactive Center, faculty will discuss histological features that are needed to make a specific diagnosis; how histology plays a role in outcomes; whether staging is important and what system to use. Topics will cover Gynecologic, Breast, Genitourinary, Gastrointestinal, Thoracic, and Head and Neck Pathology.

USCAP Presents:
Out with the Old and In with the New: An Updated Approach to the Cytologic Classification of Tumors

Multiple revisions and updates have recently been created for standardization of the cytologic classification of non-neoplastic and neoplastic processes in the pancreatobiliary tract, liver, thyroid, head and neck (including salivary gland), urine, kidneys, adrenal gland, lung and soft tissue. These standardized reporting schemes provide a framework for consistent categorization of cytopathology reports. They allow cytopathologists to convey clear, consistent diagnostic information, in language uniformly understood by pathologists and clinicians the world over. New developments in the diagnosis, grading and staging are not fully appreciated in the community, often leading to errors in diagnosis and impaired management. This case-based course will illustrate daily challenges, new guidelines, and practical clues to the proper handling of specimens from these sites along with accurate cytologic diagnosis of neoplasms in, and their distinction from, key cytomorphologic mimics. This will offer pathologists a unique perspective into the diagnostic morphometric signatures of key entities, which they can apply to daily practice even in the smaller hospital or private practice setting. The target audience for this course includes cytopathologists, general surgical pathologists who sign out cytopathology specimens, cytopathologists with special interest in pathology from these sites, and pathologists-in-training (residents and fellows).

USCAP Presents:
TUTORIAL IN PATHOLOGY OF THE GI TRACT, PANCREAS AND LIVER

Gastrointestinal pathology emerged as a subspecialty in the mid-to-late 1980s, coincident with utilization of endoscopy with mucosal biopsy for diagnosis and management of patients with gastrointestinal disorders. The widespread availability of endoscopy coupled with advances in tissue acquisition techniques have drastically increased the number and variety of gastrointestinal samples pathologists encounter in daily practice. As a result, pathologists are now required to provide comprehensive diagnostic information based on review of scant material. Classification of tumors is often completed based on interpretation of immunohistochemical stains coupled with molecular analyses to identify druggable targets or underlying germline conditions. Pathologists also direct the evaluation of patients with gastrointestinal complaints, particularly when patients have persistent symptoms or are immunosuppressed. Thus, they must be able to hone in on key features present in biopsy material in order to narrow the differential diagnosis and better direct patient care. This course is intended to address these needs in a succinct and pragmatic fashion.

USCAP Presents:
FOURTH EDITION
Modern Surgical Pathology Through the Eyes of Our Presidents

Pathologists have historically dedicated their efforts to recognizing and classifying patterns of disease based on careful morphologic assessment, unassisted by immunohistochemical and molecular techniques. Many pathologists lack the fundamental skills to interpret patterns of injury or neoplasia that are required to generate a workable differential diagnosis. As a result, they often perform excessive ancillary studies that exhaust materials and contribute to escalating health care costs. Diagnoses may be delayed due to multiple rounds of testing, especially when unusual staining patterns or conflicting results are encountered.

Recent advances in immunohistochemical and molecular techniques have led to a paradigm shift such that we increasingly rely upon ancillary assays to facilitate or establish a diagnosis. This course is intended to emphasize the continued role of histomorphology in the classification of human diseases while highlighting the accomplishments of leaders in our field. All of the faculty members are current, or former presidents of the United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology and/or the Arthur Purdy Stout Society of Surgical Pathologists. These individuals have tremendous knowledge to share with learners at all stages in their careers.

Course Location: Palm Springs, CA
Course Director: Rhonda K. Yantiss