Pathology Student

Why is there hyperpigmentation in Addison disease?

Q. How come patients with Addison disease have hyperpigmented skin? (more…)

How do you identify mitoses?

Q. How do you identify mitoses in histology slides?

A. Great question. This is something pathologists have to do a lot and nobody really talks about what specifically makes a mitotic figure.

(more…)

Desmoid tumor: benign but nasty

Desmoid tumor, also called deep-seated fibromatosis, is a benign tumor that is nonetheless a nasty beast. (more…)

Acute leukemia vs. CML blast crisis

Q. I’d like to know how to differentiate between acute leukemia and blast crisis of CML. (more…)

How to tell apart aplastic anemia and pancytopenia

Q. How do you tell apart aplastic anemia and pancytopenia?

A. This is an interesting question, because we’re comparing a distinct disease (aplastic anemia) with a generalized blood finding (pancytopenia).

(more…)

Mastocytosis

Mastocytosis is actually a spectrum of rare disorders, all of which are characterized by – not surprisingly – an increase in mast cells. (more…)

A quick summary of the 6 types of necrosis

Q. I can’t seem to get the different types of necrosis straight (liquefactive, fibrinoid, etc.). Any help? (more…)

Myelodysplasia: not quite leukemia

Myelodysplasia (MDS) is often thought of as “pre-leukemia.” Which is kind of misleading, because only some cases of MDS go on to become leukemia; others stay the same and never progress. (more…)

Henoch-Schonlein purpura: the disease you never really learned about

Sometimes in pathology, you hear the name of a disease over and over, but somehow you never really learn about it. (more…)

Does “differentiated” mean it looks different?

Q. A question: why do you call a tumor “well-differentiated” when actually it is the LEAST different from the tissue of origin? Shouldn’t it be “low differentiated?” (more…)