This annual course addresses a wide range of topics in anatomic pathology and explores new and evolving areas in the diagnosis and analysis of disease. It aims to provide the latest practical and theoretical information that will aid the practicing pathologist in solving those problems most often encountered in the anatomic pathology laboratory.

An audience response system will facilitate questions and discussion. Participants will be able to register for either the entire three-day meeting or for any combination of individual one-day blocks.

OBJECTIVES

The principal objective of this activity is to identify areas of diagnostic difficulties and challenges in everyday surgical pathology and cytopathology practice, and to provide expert insight on selected topics through different educational formats. Educational experience is further enhanced through a collegial contact and one-on-one interaction throughout the course. As identified through recent

publications and other data gathering efforts, the topics selected each year reflect areas in which substantial information and progress has been made. The topics of discussion also focus on areas in which there is significant difficulty in interpretation of pathological features. In general terms, we expect that at the end of this course,the participants will:

■ reduce occurrence of common mistakes and pitfalls in the diagnosis of genitourinary, breast, gynecological, gastrointestinal, hepatobiliary, hematolymphoid, pulmonary, and soft tissue diseases (see program for specific diseases in the current course) in everyday surgical pathology;

■ improve diagnostic accuracy with mimickers of specific diseases in each specialty;

■ interpret special studies that will allow easier differential diagnosis;

■ improve ability to identify the pertinent histopathological characteristics of diseases to allow unequivocal diagnosis;

■ use new and additional components of the pathology report to improve its clinical value;

■ integrate the recent changes/modifications in the pathological classification of diseases or lesions.