COMMON CONSULTATION CONUNDRUMS IN BREAST PATHOLOGY

Course overview

Difficult or problematic breast lesions are commonly submitted to breast pathology consultants for a second opinion because of 1) unusual, unexpected or ambiguous histological features and/or immunohistochemical staining results, 2) lack of consensus in lesion classification, 3) unclear reporting guidelines, or 4) rarity of the lesion. The purpose of this course is to provide pathologists with a practical approach to such problematic breast lesions that they will be able to apply in their daily practice. Topics that will be discussed will include diagnostic problems with papillary, fibroepithelial, columnar cell and in situ lesions, small glandular proliferations, among others. The application and pitfalls of adjunctive immunohistochemical studies used to help resolve these differential diagnostic dilemmas will be emphasized.