The field of immuno-oncology (IO) continues to expand and evolve, delivering unprecedented clinical benefit to patients across a growing number of tumor types. However, IO therapies are not effective in all patients and can be associated with autoimmune side effects, which can be severe.

James Gill, MD, is a forensic pathologist, chief medical examiner of Connecticut, a clinical associate professor in pathology at Yale and chair of the College of American Pathologists (CAP) Forensic Pathology Committee. Dr. Gill answered questions about the ins and outs of forensic pathology and the experts of the field.

Each year, members of the Residents Forum are encouraged to apply for the Residents Forum Executive Committee. RFEC is charged with empowering members of the Residents Forum by providing a united representative voice inside of the College of American Pathologists’ Council on Membership and Professional Development (CMPD). RFEC is also responsible for ensuring member engagement, enhancing professional growth, and advancing pathology.

Large B-cell lymphomas are a heterogeneous group of aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphomas (NHL). Treatment responses and patient outcomes vary greatly between subtypes and depend on whether lymphomas occur de novo or as transformation of a preexisting low-grade lymphoma, on anatomic location, or on morphologic variant.

The US Supreme Court’s decision on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health has far-reaching implications across the health care community for patients, health care providers, and health care plans. As pathologists and leaders in laboratory medicine, the CAP and its members stand with the physician community as it defends the practice of medicine and protects the sanctity of the patient-physician relationship.

The advances in radiographic techniques that enable precise targeting of lesions has revived attention to cytology specimens acquired by fine needle aspiration (FNA). One of the major advantages of FNA is that it is less invasive and better tolerated than a larger tissue biopsy and in many clinical scenarios provides sufficient material not only for morphological evaluation but also for ancillary studies including molecular testing. Accordingly, it is important to understand the pros and cons of molecular tests performed on cytological preparations.

The College of American Pathologists (CAP) strives for inclusivity and diversity in all our endeavors, and strongly supports gender-neutral blood donor screening based on individualized risk assessment for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection instead of sexual orientation.

As the leading organization for pathologists, the CAP has a treasure trove of materials and subject matter experts who are dedicated to pathologist wellness.

The College of American Pathologists provided feedback on the latest version of the Verifying Accurate Leading-edge IVCT Development (VALID) Act

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) are the most common type of mesenchymal tumors of the digestive tract. GIST may occur anywhere in the GI tract, but stomach [60% of cases] and small intestine [30%] are the most common sites. From molecular genetics points of view, GIST can be grouped into 4 major molecularly-defined groups: 1) KIT mutated [about 75 to 80%], 2) PDGFRA mutated [about 5 to 10%], 3) SDH-deficient [about 5 to 10%], and 4) other rare driver mutations [NF1, NTRK, BRAF etc].

Dr. Nicole Riddle’s article focuses on how new-in-practice pathologists should approach the art of salary negotiations.

Increasingly, pathologists employ molecular testing as an aid in sarcoma diagnosis. The intent of this article is to summarize the current state of routine molecular testing in sarcomas. The future direction of this testing is also briefly discussed.

This article examines the liquid biopsy (using a body fluid sample to test for relevant biomarkers) as one of the minimally invasive testing methods to emerge in recent years.

Adversity is a part of life and having a strategy for difficult situations makes all the difference. CAP member Dr. Emily Green shares her adversity tool kit to help and inspire fellow pathologists as they face adversity and difficult situations in the workplace.

Richard Owings, MD, FCAP, explains what to do before starting at your pathologist job, eg, obtaining licensing/credentialing, arranging housing, enrolling in insurance plans, etc.

New-in-practice pathologists need to know how to interview just as much to be interviewed. Dr. Roseann Wu give tips on how pathologists need to prepare to conduct a solid interview.

Dr. Juanita Evans reveals three things early career pathologists can do as they transition into a leadership role.

In this article, Mary Le, MD, FCAP, Adam L. Booth, MD, FCAP, and Rebecca Johnson, MD, FCAP, share their tips and tricks for managing time and creating a healthy work-life balance.

For pathologists to be effective in dotted-line leadership roles, they need to positively influence the work practices within the laboratory. The pathologist must be viewed as an approachable, knowledgeable, and helpful advocate for quality testing and employee and patient safety.