This course will address common but difficult diagnostic problems encountered by the pathologist in everyday practice. It is intended for general pathologists (academic and/or community based), pathologists with an interest in breast pathology, surgical pathology fellows, and residents. Every effort will be made to present cases of common practical value. Participants and faculty will review case histories, examine case images and formulate the diagnosis. A responsive keypad system will be utilized for interactive audience participation. Topics to be covered will include: (1) the spectrum of papillary lesions, (2) differentiating between fibroadenoma and phyllodes tumor, (3) a realistic approach to handling cases that fall short of ADH criteria on core biopsy material, (4) diagnosing lobular neoplasia, and (5) the importance of several variants of invasive mammary carcinoma. The unique subtleties and differentiating characteristics of each diagnosis will be highlighted with special emphasis on the benefit and limitations of immunohistochemical markers used in the workup of these breast lesions. Faculty and participants will discuss strategies for managing each patient’s case.

All participants will receive a comprehensive syllabus with a list of current and classic references for each diagnostic issue addressed to form a solid foundation for use in daily surgical pathology practice as it relates to breast pathology. Pre-registrants will be provided a link to the USCAP website where virtual images of all cases presented will be available for review prior to the meeting. A syllabus will be distributed at the course. After the meeting, all participants will be mailed a CD-ROM containing the PowerPoint presentation for retention. (New Course) This course may be used for CME credits or SAM’s credits.