CAPcasts

In this CAPcast episode, Gladell Paner, MD, FCAP, discusses the renaming of low-grade prostate cancer with genitourinary pathologists Ming Zhou, MD, FCAP, and Rajal Shah, MD, FCAP. They explore the history, benefits, and challenges of removing the cancer label from Grade Group 1 prostate cancer and its potential impact on patient care, pathologist practices, and the broader healthcare system.

While blood transfusion safeguards are highly effective, they're not completely infallible. If new information arises suggesting an unsuitable blood unit was collected and then unknowingly transfused, the blood bank must undertake a “lookback,” or a process of investigating and identifying prior donations from the same donor. This episode features a discussion on lookbacks between Dr. Alexis Peedin and Dr. Melissa George. Learn more about blood bank lookbacks via Dr. George’s recently authored CPIP case, linked in the Resources section.

Join Gladell Paner, MD, FCAP, as he delves into inherited cancer syndromes with surgical pathologist Vania Nosé, MD, FCAP, and oncologist Mark Lewis, MD, who is also a cancer survivor. They focus on multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN1), an autosomal dominant disorder affecting the pituitary, parathyroid, and pancreas. Dr. Nosé explores the genetic and clinical aspects of MEN1, while Dr. Lewis shares his personal journey with the condition. Together, they discuss treatment advancements, tumor prognosis, and how personal stories can raise awareness and ease fears about medical procedures.

Beginning in the early 2000s, the number of US medical school seniors matching into a pathology residency experienced a steady decline. Rates went from 2.5% in 2003 to nearly 1% in the late 2010s. In response, the CAP created the Future Pathologist Initiative Project Team to address the critical issue of preventing a pathologist shortage by inspiring medical students to explore pathology as a career path.

This episode features Dr. Kalisha Hill, project team chair, and Dr. Kamran Mirza, future pathologist champion facilitator, to discuss the team’s efforts and accomplishments. In the second half of the episode, they speak to Dr. Carli Cox, a former medical student turned pathology resident, and her mentor, Dr. Murat Gokden, about their experience going through the Future Pathologist Champion Program.

Learn more and register for the CAP's Job Prep Bootcamp, a fast-paced interactive review of pathology cases across subspecialties, delivered in a virtual format.

Pathology reports are pathologists’ main line of connection with patients—their primary stakeholders. Since the CURES Act made it so patients can access their pathology reports digitally as soon as they’re released, questions have been raised about how to make the reports more discernable for the average person. However, the pathology report must also speak to the patient’s care team, who use it to determine their treatment. In this episode, Dr. Diana Cardona and Dr. Harry Hwang discuss the feedback and concerns of the various stakeholder groups for pathologists’ reports and explore potential changes to the standard report format that could work for all parties without placing undue burden on pathologists.

Learn more and register for the CAP's Job Prep Bootcamp, a fast-paced interactive review of pathology cases across subspecialties, delivered in a virtual format.

In this special edition CAPcast, the College of American Pathologists (CAP) shares the audio of a July 9 briefing on laboratory-developed tests (LDTs). The CAP discussed how Congress can promote patient safety without overburdening laboratories through enacting a diagnostic reform package that provides oversight of LDTs and allows for innovation of new technologies. The Capitol Hill briefing featured top pathologists from around the country who provided background on LDTs and answered questions from congressional staffers.

For more than a decade, the CAP has advocated for an LDT regulatory framework that enhances patient safety, maintains access to quality laboratory testing, and promotes innovation without creating significant regulatory burdens on pathologists. Following the May 6 issuance of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) LDT final regulation, the CAP is greatly concerned that the FDA is moving forward with its regulatory oversight plan for LDTs without making the additional changes needed to ensure both patient safety and access to accurate and innovative testing.

CAP President Donald Karcher, MD, FCAP, and Joe Saad, MD, FCAP, President of the Surgical Pathologists of Dallas, spoke with congressional staff about these issues.

Overall, they sought to educate Congress about the underlying problems with the FDA rule and encourage legislative action that targets FDA oversight to tests representing the highest risk to patients while leveraging existing structures to maintain quality and access to lower-risk LDTs. The physicians explained what LDTs are and why they are important, the impact of the FDA's diagnostic rule on the provision of LDTs and patient testing, and why the Verifying Accurate Leading-Edge IVCT Development (VALID) Act, not the FDA final rule, provides the necessary oversight to ensure safe, quality laboratory tests for all patients.

Gladell Paner, MD, FCAP, speaks with dermatopathologists Wonwoo Shon, DO, FCAP, and Christopher Kinonen, MD, MBA, FCAP. The group discusses the development of the CAP's new melanoma reporting templates, how they are used in testing, and what's on the horizon for biomarkers.

The CAP introduced its first infectious disease testing survey program in 1989, 40 years after launching its PT survey program in 1949. Over the past 35 years, the CAP has led the way in developing new programs to ensure the quality and accuracy of laboratory testing for infectious diseases, including SARS CoV-2, Zika testing, and testing for molecular microbiology multiplex panels. In this CAPcast episode, Drs. Christine Wojewoda and Daniel Rhoads, Chair and Vice Chair of the CAP’s Microbiology Committee, discuss how the program has evolved over the years, its impact on public health, including the historic COVID-19 pandemic, and what future directions the program is focusing on to ensure that patients continue to receive accurate infectious disease test results.

This episode is part of a CAPcast series highlighting the CAP’s proficiency testing program, which is celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2024.

Launched in 2004, the CAP’s Laboratory Preparedness Exercise (LPX) was developed as a collaborative effort involving the College of American Pathologists, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Association of Public Health Laboratories. In this CAPcast episode, Dr. Kathleen Beavis and Dr. Carol Rauch discuss the history of the program and its important role in helping laboratories assess and enhance their readiness for emergencies, disasters, and other challenging situations. This episode is part of a series highlighting the CAP’s proficiency testing program, which is celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2024.

The 2024 Pathologists Leadership Summit took place in mid-April and featured the Spring House of Delegates meeting, educational courses, Advocacy programing, and our annual Hill Day. For this episode, we revisit the Pathologists Leadership Summit with two CAP leaders. Dr. Sang Wu is speaker of the CAP’s House of Delegates. And, Dr. Mary Le is the vice chair for the CAP Federal and State Affairs Committee.