Presented at the 1998 APIII Conference Return to 1998 Abstract Index
FLAT NEOPLASMS OF COLON: DIAGNOSTIC CONSIDERATION
http://www.east.ncc.go.jp/cgi-bin/dirs/Directory_Service.cgi?/path_flat
Tokyo Medical
University
Department of Pathology
Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan
Kiyoshi Mukai, MD
Discrepancies in diagnostic criteria between pathologists or laboratories are an inherent problem of anatomic pathology. Anatomic pathology diagnosis involves interpretation of the image data and its matching with the established criteria by the pathologists. Most diagnostic criteria have been proposed in linguistic terms with a few representative images; their interpretation may be inconsistent among pathologists. Since discrepancies in diagnostic criteria may hamper reliable comparison of treatment results between hospitals or countries, standardization is mandatory. Web technology allows us to provide effective visual presentation of diagnostic criteria by many images. This is especially helpful when proposing new entities.
In this presentation, flat neoplasms of colon will be presented. These lesions have been recognized for many years by Japanese endoscopists and pathologists but have not been fully accepted as an entity in the Western countries until recently. Six cases of flat neoplasms of the colon, from adenoma to invasive carcinoma, are demonstrated with endoscopic and microscopic images. Not only the visual presentation of the lesions but also a discussion about the discrepancy in diagnostic criteria between Japan and Western countries are included in this web page. Because images can provide much more information to pathologists than linguistic terms, web based image presentation is of great educational value, leading institutions such as highly specialized cancer centers are expected to provide similar education material for the benefit of the pathologists.
