ABPath Anatomic Pathology flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

DCIS margin threshold

For breast-conserving surgery, a 2 mm margin for ductal carcinoma in situ is associated with lower ipsilateral recurrence; narrower margins increase risk.

Colorectal nodal staging

At least 12 regional lymph nodes should be examined in colorectal cancer resection to reduce stage migration; fewer nodes may understage the patient.

Pancreatic R1 margin

In pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, R1 means tumor within 1 mm of the transection or dissection margin, reflecting a higher risk of local recurrence.

Melanoma Breslow thickness

Breslow thickness is measured from the granular layer, or base of an ulcer, to the deepest invasive melanoma cell and determines T stage and excision margins.

Prostate Grade Group 1

Grade Group 1 corresponds to Gleason score 3+3=6 and has the most favorable prognosis among prostate cancer grade groups.

Frozen section limitation

Frozen section is unreliable for follicular thyroid lesions and fat margins because artifacts obscure capsular and vascular invasion; permanent sections are required.

Lung STAS

Spread through air spaces is tumor spread beyond the invasive edge into alveolar spaces; it is associated with increased recurrence after limited resection.

Bethesda category VI

In thyroid fine-needle aspiration, Bethesda category VI is malignant and carries the highest risk of malignancy, usually prompting surgery.

Milan System

The Milan System classifies salivary gland cytology from non-diagnostic to malignant; the risk of malignancy rises across categories and guides management.

Mesothelioma IHC panel

Calretinin, WT1, D2-40, and CK5/6 support mesothelioma, whereas Ber-EP4, MOC-31, and claudin-4 support adenocarcinoma in effusion cytology.

EBUS-TBNA

Endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration samples mediastinal nodes; cell blocks allow immunohistochemistry to distinguish carcinoma types.

ASC-US HPV triage

For cervical ASC-US cytology, high-risk HPV testing triages patients: HPV-positive women need colposcopy, while HPV-negative women can return to screening.

Urine cytology HGUC

The Paris System emphasizes reporting high-grade urothelial carcinoma; low-grade tumors are not reliably distinguished from reactive urothelial cells by cytology.

Cause versus mechanism

Cause of death is the initiating disease or injury; mechanism is the physiologic derangement, such as arrhythmia or hemorrhage, that directly produces death.

Livor mortis fixation

Postmortem lividity begins as dependent purplish discoloration and generally becomes fixed after about 6 to 12 hours, although temperature and body habitus modify timing.

Rigor mortis timing

Rigor mortis starts in small muscles and usually resolves by about 24 to 48 hours; ambient temperature and muscle mass alter the timeline.

Pulmonary embolism autopsy

Fatal pulmonary embolism often arises from deep vein thrombosis; at autopsy, examine the leg veins and pulmonary arterial tree for thromboemboli.

Gunshot soot and stippling

Soot deposition and stippling indicate close-range gunshot discharge; exit wounds usually lack these features and may be larger and more irregular.

Perinatal autopsy workup

Perinatal autopsy includes placental and cord examination, radiographs, karyotype when indicated, and assessment for congenital anomalies and infection.

HER2 IHC 3+

In breast cancer, HER2 immunohistochemistry 3+ is positive; 2+ is equivocal and requires in situ hybridization to determine amplification.

MMR IHC loss pattern

Loss of MLH1 and PMS2 suggests an MLH1 abnormality; BRAF V600E testing or MLH1 promoter methylation helps distinguish sporadic from Lynch syndrome.

CK7 CK20 profile

CK7 positive and CK20 negative favors lung, breast, ovary, or thyroid; CK7 negative and CK20 positive favors colorectal; CK7 and CK20 positive favors urothelial.

EM desmosomes

Desmosomes with tonofilaments support squamous differentiation; melanosomes support melanoma, and dense-core granules support neuroendocrine tumors.

FISH break-apart

A break-apart FISH probe shows fused signals in a normal gene; separated 5-prime and 3-prime signals indicate a gene rearrangement.

PD-L1 TPS

Tumor proportion score is the percentage of viable tumor cells with membranous PD-L1 staining, used to select patients for immune checkpoint inhibitors.

NSCLC EGFR testing

EGFR mutation testing is standard for advanced lung adenocarcinoma; sensitizing mutations predict response to EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors.

CLIA proficiency testing

CLIA requires laboratories to enroll in proficiency testing for regulated analytes, perform quality control, and validate tests before reporting patient results.

CAP checklist inspection

CAP accreditation uses specialty checklists and peer inspections; deficiencies are cited and require documented corrective action before accreditation is maintained.

Turnaround time definition

Turnaround time is the interval from specimen receipt to report release; it should be monitored separately from preanalytical and postanalytical error rates.

HL7 versus FHIR

HL7 version 2 is widely used for laboratory orders and results; FHIR is a newer interoperability standard using resources and web APIs.

Digital pathology validation

Whole-slide imaging validation compares diagnoses on digital images with glass slides and assesses image quality, concordance, and cybersecurity safeguards.

Root cause analysis

Root cause analysis identifies active errors and latent system failures; corrective actions should change systems and processes rather than blame individuals.