CAPcasts

The paradigm for prostate cancer treatment is evolving. While there is an increasing desire to manage low-risk cancers without aggressive treatment, there is also a need to identify high-risk cancers and treat appropriately.

In this CAPcast interview, Dr. Sean Williamson, a surgical pathologist from the Henry Ford Health System, discusses the diagnostic challenges of evaluating prostate biopsies, the significance of neuroendocrine differentiation in prostate cancer, and recent consensus guidelines and classification schemes. Dr. Williamson and Dr. Giovanna Giannico will be teaching a course on this topic at CAP19, which will be held Sept. 21-25 in Orlando, Florida: https://capatholo.gy/2Vzqkm9.

Soft tissue pathology—it can be a challenging area of specialty for many general pathologists. In this CAPcast, Dr. Jerad Gardner discusses the common pitfalls and benign mimics that pathologists are most likely to encounter, as well as how to navigate the many ancillary tests available for soft tissue lesions. Dr. Gardner will be teaching a course on this topic at CAP19, which will be held Sept. 21-25 in Orlando, Florida: https://capatholo.gy/2Vzqkm9.

Maximizing patient safety and reducing diagnostic errors is rooted in a quality management approach. The manual Quality Management in Anatomic Pathology (https://capatholo.gy/2UNJ9lk) provides pathologists and laboratory directors with the tools necessary to implement a comprehensive quality program, with an emphasis on regulatory compliance and cross-references to the CAP Laboratory Accreditation Program checklists and CLIA. In this CAPcast, one of the book’s co-authors, Dr. Gene Siegal, discusses the challenges related to quality, the common causes of error, and the key elements of a comprehensive quality program.

Clear, concise communication is required in all pathology practices with many constituencies, such as colleagues, clinicians, staff, nurses, administrators, and patients. But effective communication with all these audiences may be difficult. In addition, conventional modalities such as meetings, conference calls, written communications, and emails may have limited effect or may be used inappropriately and newer communication platforms, such as social media, may be unfamiliar to many pathologists. In this CAPcast interview, Dr. Timothy Allen discusses better modes of communication as well as pitfalls in written, verbal, and visual interactions. Dr. Allen will be teaching a course on this subject in September at CAP19.

Clear, concise communication is required in all pathology practices with many constituencies, such as colleagues, clinicians, staff, nurses, administrators, and patients. But effective communication with all these audiences may be difficult. In addition, conventional modalities such as meetings, conference calls, written communications, and emails may have limited effect or may be used inappropriately and newer communication platforms, such as social media, may be unfamiliar to many pathologists.

In this CAPcast interview, Dr. Timothy Allen discusses better modes of communication as well as pitfalls in written, verbal, and visual interactions. Dr. Allen will be teaching a course on this subject in September at CAP19. Learn more about CAP19: https://capatholo.gy/2Vzqkm9.

Injuries to patients or laboratory staff due to unsafe conditions can result in unwanted publicity, adverse accreditation decisions, and damage to the pathologist’s professional reputation. Pathologists who recognize and correct unsafe conditions are less likely to be involved in related court proceedings, according to Dr. Richard Scanlan, who will be teaching a course on this topic later this year entitled, “Don’t Be THAT Lab,” at CAP19 which will be held Sept. 21-25 in Orlando, Florida. In this CAPcast interview, Dr. Scanlan discusses some of the challenges related to managing a laboratory and how laboratory directors can mitigate risks.

Throughout his pathology training, Dr. Richard Owings thought that finding a job would be the hardest part of transitioning from a trainee to new-in-practice pathologist. But after signing a contract with his current employer, he soon realized he had a lengthy punch list to complete before he started his new job. Dr. Owings outlines some of the challenges during this transition period in a recent blog on CAP.org entitled, “You’ve Signed Your Contract as a New-in-Practice Pathologist: Now What?”: https://capatholo.gy/2I96OdZ. In this CAPcast interview, he shares his perspective and advice on ensuring a smooth training to practice transition.

According to Dr. Nicole Riddle’s recent article on CAP.org, whether you’re starting a new job or vying for a raise or promotion, you should always be negotiating. Research has shown that that only about 20% of people always negotiate their salaries while up to 40% never do. Dr. Riddle’s article on this topic, titled “Working Hard for the Money: The Importance of Salary Negotiation,” is now posted on CAP.org: https://www.cap.org/member-resources/articles/working-hard-for-the-money-the-importance-of-salary-negotiation.

In this CAPcast interview, Dr. Riddle provides advice on how and why to negotiate your salary—as well as other employment benefits. Negotiating may be scary, but as Dr. Riddle explains, it’s much worse not doing it.

If you are a new-in-practice pathologist in your first job, it’s important to prove yourself early in your career, because a good impression sets you up for success down the road, according to Dr. Joshua Hanson, who recently wrote a blog on this topic, which is now posted on CAP.org: https://capatholo.gy/2B2wl2Q.

In this CAPcast interview, Dr. Hanson, who is an attending surgical pathologist at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, shares some tips on how to prove yourself during your first year on the job.

Morphologic examination by light microscopy remains an integral part of initial histopathologic assessment for hematolymphoid neoplasms; however, a variety of laboratory techniques are now being used to optimize diagnostic information in the appropriate clinical context. For diagnosing myeloid disorders and acute myeloid leukemia, one approach is to utilize an next gen sequencing panel and DNA-based cytogenomic microarray, according to Dr. Pranil Chandra, Chief Medical Officer of Genomic and Clinical Pathology with PathGroup. In this CAPcast, Dr. Chandra discusses why his laboratory, in conjunction with pathologist and oncologist colleagues, developed this technology and how they’ve implemented it into clinical practice.

Dr. Chandra currently serves on the Personalized Healthcare Committee of the College of American Pathologists, and he’s written a short article now posted on CAP.org (https://capatholo.gy/2RO4h96) outlining the reasoning his team used to make this panel their standard of care.