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Avoiding diagnostic errors in hematopathology is difficult. Unfortunately, there are many diagnoses that are too easy to miss. Benign lymphoid proliferations can be misdiagnosed as lymphomas and conversely lymphomas may appear deceptively benign or even go totally unnoticed. Other lymphomas are more easily recognized, but are prone to being misclassified, potentially leading to therapeutic errors and adverse patient outcomes. This course teaches skills to avoid the pitfalls in hematopathology.

A brief introduction will highlight sources of diagnostic errors in hematopathology, review the current WHO classification, and emphasize the use of a state-of-the-art multiparameter approach in hematopathology. Approximately twelve cases will be presented that cover the varied sources of diagnostic errors listed above. The cases will be used as vehicles to present new ways in which we solve old problems (e.g., new antibodies to B-cell transcription factors being used to help diagnose classical Hodgkin lymphoma, cytogenetic FISH studies used to differentiate non-Hodgkin lymphomas) and to illustrate some new problems we didn’t realize we had to deal with (e.g., knowing the current approach to cutaneous B-cell lymphomas). The entities covered will range from rare to very common. The emphasis will be on the pragmatic rather than theoretical “ivory tower” issues. The course will conclude with a single case quiz!

The course is intended both for trainees and practicing general surgical pathologists. Pre-registrants will receive a website address to view virtual slides for each of the cases that can be reviewed in advance. A detailed syllabus will be provided at the course, and a CD with the course presentation will be mailed to course participants after the meeting. Upon completion of the course, participants will have a heightened awareness about selected areas in hematopathology that are prone to diagnostic errors and better know how to use a modern armamentarium of techniques to avoid making them. Participants will also be aware of the current status of lymphoma classification.