Implementation of the Bethesda System for Reporting Thyroid Cytopathology: observations from the 2011 thyroid supplemental questionnaire of the College of American Pathologists.

Context: Although information about the Bethesda System for Reporting Thyroid Cytopathology (TBSRTC) has been widely disseminated since its inception in 2007, the extent of its implementation and impact on daily practice has not been formally evaluated.

Objectives: To assess the extent of uptake of TBSRTC across pathology laboratories and to evaluate its impact on daily practice by collating participant responses to the 2011 supplemental thyroid questionnaire of the College of American Pathologists.

Design: A questionnaire was designed to gather information about various aspects of TBSRTC and mailed in June 2011 to 2063 laboratories participating in the College of American Pathologists cytopathology interlaboratory comparison program.

Five top stories in cytopathology.

Context: Cytology relies heavily on morphology to make diagnoses, and morphologic criteria have not changed much in recent years. The field is being shaped predominantly by new techniques for imaging and for acquiring and processing samples, advances in molecular diagnosis and therapeutics, and regulatory issues.

Objective: To review the importance of classical morphology in the future of cytopathology, to identify areas in which cytology is expanding or contracting in its scope, and to identify factors that are shaping the field.