New Journal Articles

Frozen-section diagnosis by wireless telepathology and ultra portable computer: use in pathology resident/faculty consultation. Hum Pathol 2007;Sept;38(9):1330-1334. Frierson HF Jr, Galgano MT.

The utility of a wireless telepathology system is demonstrated in this study of 100 consecutive frozen sections viewed by a senior resident at the microscope and an attending pathologist on his computer via wireless communication.

Sentinel lymph node biopsy in patients with diagnostically controversial spitzoid melanocytic tumors. Am J Surg Pathol 2002 Jan;26(1):47-55. Lohmann CM, etal.

Although this is an older article from 2002, the information presented is still valid.This study examined 10 patients diagnosed with atypical Spitzoid melanocytic tumors who subsequently underwent sentinel lymph node biopsy. Of these 10 patients, 5 demonstrated metastatic disease!

In fact, several other studies examining similar sets of diagnostically challenging atypical Spitzoid neoplasms have found rates of metastatic disease to sentinel lymph nodes ranging from 30 to 44% of cases. Obviously, the sample size are biased and limited but this and the other studies serve notice to both treating physicians and pathologists alike that our current histopathologic diagnostic criteria are clearly not as precise as we would intend them to be.

Additional References

Sentinel lymph node biopsy for atypical melanocytic lesions with spitzoid features. Ann Surg Oncol. 2006 Dec;13(12):1664-70.

Sentinel lymph node biopsy for patients with problematic spitzoid melanocytic lesions: a report on 18 patients. Cancer. 2003 Jan 15;97(2):499-507

Submitted by Paul K. Shitabata, M.D.
Medical Director, Pathology Inc.