Dataset for the reporting of carcinoma of the exocrine pancreas: recommendations from the International Collaboration on Cancer Reporting (ICCR)
Histopathology. 2021 Dec;79(6):902-912. doi: 10.1111/his.14540. Epub 2021 Sep 22.
Caroline Verbeke 1 , Fleur Webster 2 , Lodewijk Brosens 3 4 , Fiona Campbell 5 , Marco Del Chiaro 6 , Irene Esposito 7 , Roger M Feakins 8 , Noriyoshi Fukushima 9 , Anthony J Gill 10 11 12 , Sanjay Kakar 13 , James G Kench 10 14 , Alyssa M Krasinskas 15 , Jean-Luc van Laethem 16 17 , David F Schaeffer 18 19 , Kay Washington 20
1 Department of Pathology, University of Oslo, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.
2 International Collaboration on Cancer Reporting, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
3 Department of Pathology, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
4 Department of Pathology, Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
5 Department of Pathology, Royal Liverpool University Hospital, Liverpool, UK.
6 Department of Surgery, University of Colorado Denver, Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA.
7 Institute of Pathology, University Hospital Düsseldorf, Medical Faculty of Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany.
8 Department of Histopathology, Royal Free Hospital, London, UK.
9 Department of Pathology, Jichi Medical University, Tochigi, Japan.
10 Sydney Medical School, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
11 Cancer Diagnosis and Pathology Group, Kolling Institute of Medical Research, St Leonards, New South Wales, Australia.
12 NSW Health Pathology, Department of Anatomical Pathology, Royal North Shore Hospital, St Leonards, New South Wales, Australia.
13 Department of Pathology, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA.
14 Department of Tissue Pathology and Diagnostic Oncology, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, New South Wales Health Pathology, Camperdown, New South Wales, Australia.
15 Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Emory University Hospital, Atlanta, GA, USA.
16 Department of Gastroenterology and Medical Oncology, Hôpital Erasme, Brussels, Belgium.
17 Laboratory of Experimental Gastroenterology, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium.
18 Division of Anatomic Pathology, Vancouver General Hospital, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
19 Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
20 Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Centre, Nashville, TN, USA.
DOI: 10.1111/his.14540
Aims: Current guidelines for pathology reporting on pancreatic cancer differ in certain aspects, resulting in divergent reporting practices and a lack of comparability of data. Here, we report on a new international dataset for pathology reporting on resection specimens with cancer of the exocrine pancreas (ductal adenocarcinoma and acinar cell carcinoma). The dataset was produced under the auspices of the International Collaboration on Cancer Reporting (ICCR), which is a global alliance of major (inter)national pathology and cancer organisations.
Methods and results: According to the ICCR's rigorous process for dataset development, an international expert panel consisting of pancreatic pathologists, a pancreatic surgeon and an oncologist produced a set of core and non-core data items based on a critical review and discussion of current evidence. Commentary was provided for each data item to explain the rationale for selecting it as a core or non-core element and its clinical relevance, and to highlight potential areas of disagreement or lack of evidence, in which case a consensus position was formulated. Following international public consultation, the document was finalised and ratified, and the dataset, which includes a synoptic reporting guide, was published on the ICCR website.
Conclusions: This first international dataset for cancer of the exocrine pancreas is intended to promote high-quality, standardised pathology reporting. Its widespread adoption will improve the consistency of reporting, facilitate multidisciplinary communication, and enhance the comparability of data, all of which will help to improve the management of pancreatic cancer patients.
Keywords: ICCR; carcinoma; dataset; exocrine pancreas; guidelines; pathology; protocol; synoptic report.
© 2021 The Authors. Histopathology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Carcinoma, Acinar Cell*
Carcinoma, Pancreatic Ductal*
Datasets as Topic*
Pancreatic Neoplasms*
Pathology, Clinical / standards*
Research Design / standards