Golden rules in practice of cancer pathology

Abstract

The pathologic diagnosis of cancer is an essential initial step in the management of patients, a great responsibility facing the pathologist. The present review is a critical analysis of current practice. The aim is to disclose defects, describe  diagnostic strategies and outline recent changing trends in the use of diagnostic methods. The importance of recognizing syndromic cancers, interpathologist  consultation and interdisciplinary cooperation is emphasized. Twenty advises and guidelines are presented which may hopefully minimize errors and assure an accurate diagnosis. Recent 5-year survival data of different cancer sites are  presented with a proposed classification into four prognostic categories. Curability from cancer is not uncommon with modern therapy. It is confirmed by the demonstration of a plateau slope graph between 5 and 20 years after therapy.

Keywords: Cancer; Pathology; Diagnosis; Histology; Specimen fixation; Survival; Guidelines