Characterization of multiple diagnostic terms in melanocytic skin lesion pathology reports.
J Cutan Pathol
; 49(2): 153-162, 2022 Feb.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-34487353
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Histopathologically ambiguous melanocytic lesions lead some pathologists to list multiple diagnostic considerations in the pathology report. The frequency and circumstance of multiple diagnostic considerations remain poorly characterized.METHODS:
Two hundred and forty skin biopsy samples were interpreted by 187 pathologists (8976 independent diagnoses) and classified according to a diagnostic/treatment stratification (MPATH-Dx).RESULTS:
Multiple diagnoses in different MPATH-Dx classes were used in n = 1320 (14.7%) interpretations, with 97% of pathologists and 91% of cases having at least one such interpretation. Multiple diagnoses were more common for intermediate risk lesions and are associated with greater subjective difficulty and lower confidence. We estimate that 6% of pathology reports for melanocytic lesions in the United States contain two diagnoses of different MPATH-Dx prognostic classes, and 2% of cases are given two diagnoses with significant treatment implications.CONCLUSIONS:
Difficult melanocytic diagnoses in skin may necessitate multiple diagnostic considerations; however, as patients increasingly access their health records and retrieve pathology reports (as mandated by US law), uncertainty should be expressed unambiguously.Palabras clave
Texto completo:
1
Banco de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Piel
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Neoplasias Cutáneas
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Patólogos
Tipo de estudio:
Diagnostic_studies
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Prognostic_studies
Límite:
Adult
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Aged
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Female
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Humans
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Male
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Middle aged
Idioma:
En
Revista:
J Cutan Pathol
Año:
2022
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Estados Unidos