MPATH-Dx version 2.0 schema for melanocytic lesions: A robust tool for standardized diagnostic reporting.

The new revised MPATH-Dx (version 2.0) reporting schema for melanocytic lesions is presented. Principal changes include the simplification of the previous five-class version 1.

Immunohistochemistry for Diagnosing Melanoma in Older Adults.

Importance: Pathologic assessment to diagnose skin biopsies, especially for cutaneous melanoma, can be challenging, and immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining has the potential to aid decision-making. Currently, the temporal trends regarding the use of IHC for the examination of skin biopsies on a national level have not been described.

Objective: To illustrate trends in the use of IHC for the examination of skin biopsies in melanoma diagnoses.

Implementing the Melanocytic Pathology Assessment Tool and Hierarchy for Diagnosis: Long-term effect of a simple educational intervention.

Background: A standardized pathology management tool for melanocytic skin lesions may improve patient care by simplifying interpretation and categorization of the diverse terminology currently extant.

Objective: To assess an online educational intervention that teaches dermatopathologists to use the Melanocytic Pathology Assessment Tool and Hierarchy for Diagnosis (MPATH-Dx), a schema collapsing multiple diagnostic terms into 5 classes ranging from benign to invasive melanoma.

Methods: Practicing dermatopathologists ( 149) from 40 US states participated in a 2-year educational intervention study (71% response rate).

Diagnostic error, uncertainty, and overdiagnosis in melanoma.

Diagnostic error can be defined as deviation from a gold standard diagnosis, typically defined in terms of expert opinion, although sometimes in terms of unexpected events that might occur in follow-up (such as progression and death from disease). Although diagnostic error does exist for melanoma, deviations from gold standard diagnosis, certainly among appropriately trained and experienced practitioners, are likely to be the result of uncertainty and lack of specific criteria, and differences of opinion, rather than lack of diagnostic skills. In this review, the concept of diagnostic error will be considered in relation to diagnostic uncertainty, and the concept of overdiagnosis in melanoma will be presented and discussed.

Revision of the Melanocytic Pathology Assessment Tool and Hierarchy for Diagnosis Classification Schema for Melanocytic Lesions: A Consensus Statement.

Importance: A standardized pathology classification system for melanocytic lesions is needed to aid both pathologists and clinicians in cataloging currently existing diverse terminologies and in the diagnosis and treatment of patients. The Melanocytic Pathology Assessment Tool and Hierarchy for Diagnosis (MPATH-Dx) has been developed for this purpose.

Objective: To revise the MPATH-Dx version 1.

Prognostic modeling of cutaneous melanoma stage I patients using cancer registry data identifies subsets with very-low melanoma mortality.

Background: Evidence exists that escalating melanoma incidence is due in part to overdiagnosis, the diagnosis of lesions that will not lead to symptoms or death. The authors aimed to characterize subsets of melanoma patients with very-low risk of death that may be contributing to overdiagnosis.

Methods: Melanoma patients diagnosed in 2010 and 2011 with stage I lesions ≤1.

Differences in nomenclature usage and preference among dermatopathologists for "dysplastic" nevi: A national survey.

Background: Ongoing controversy exists regarding terminology used to describe atypical melanocytic nevi. Efforts to standardize nomenclature, including the 1992 NIH consensus conference, have been largely unsuccessful. Significant advances have revealed an increasingly detailed genetic picture of melanocytic neoplasms, including strong evidence for the existence of those with "intermediate" behavior.

Effect of Prior Diagnoses on Dermatopathologists' Interpretations of Melanocytic Lesions: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Importance: Medical second opinions are common, although little is known about the best processes for obtaining them. This study assesses whether knowledge of a prior physician's diagnosis influences consulting physicians' diagnoses.

Objective: To measure the extent to which dermatopathologists' diagnoses are influenced by prior diagnostic information from another dermatopathologist.

Dermatopathologist Perceptions of Overdiagnosis of Melanocytic Skin Lesions and Association With Diagnostic Behaviors.

Importance: Despite evidence of overdiagnosis of in situ and invasive melanoma, neither the perceptions of practicing dermatopathologists about overdiagnosis nor possible associations between perceptions of overdiagnosis and diagnostic practices have been studied.

Objective: To examine practicing US dermatopathologists' perceptions of melanoma overdiagnosis as a public health issue, and to associate diagnostic behaviors of dermatopathologists with perceptions of melanoma overdiagnosis.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This survey study included 115 board-certified and/or fellowship-trained dermatopathologists and their diagnostic interpretations on a set of 18 skin biopsy cases (5 slide sets comprising 90 melanocytic skin lesions).

Histopathological diagnosis of cutaneous melanocytic lesions: blinded and nonblinded second opinions offer similar improvement in diagnostic accuracy.

Background: Previous studies of second opinions in the diagnosis of melanocytic skin lesions have examined blinded second opinions, which do not reflect usual clinical practice. The current study, conducted in the USA, investigated both blinded and nonblinded second opinions for their impact on diagnostic accuracy.

Methods: In total, 100 melanocytic skin biopsy cases, ranging from benign to invasive melanoma, were interpreted by 74 dermatopathologists.

Impact of Next-generation Sequencing on Interobserver Agreement and Diagnosis of Spitzoid Neoplasms.

Atypical Spitzoid melanocytic tumors are diagnostically challenging. Many studies have suggested various genomic markers to improve classification and prognostication. We aimed to assess whether next-generation sequencing studies using the Tempus xO assay assessing mutations in 1711 cancer-related genes and performing whole transcriptome mRNA sequencing for structural alterations could improve diagnostic agreement and accuracy in assessing neoplasms with Spitzoid histologic features.

Characterization of multiple diagnostic terms in melanocytic skin lesion pathology reports.

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).

Association of Second-Opinion Strategies in the Histopathologic Diagnosis of Cutaneous Melanocytic Lesions With Diagnostic Accuracy and Population-Level Costs.

Importance: Diagnostic variation among pathologists interpreting cutaneous melanocytic lesions could lead to suboptimal care.

Objective: To estimate the potential association of second-opinion strategies in the histopathologic diagnosis of cutaneous melanocytic lesions with diagnostic accuracy and 1-year population-level costs in the US.

Design, Setting, And Participants: Decision analysis with 1-year time horizon including melanocytic lesion diagnoses available from US pathologists participating in the Melanoma Pathology Study (M-Path) and from the study panel of reference pathologists who classified cases using the MPATH-Dx classification tool.

Histopathologic synoptic reporting of invasive melanoma: How reliable are the data?

Background: Synoptic reporting is recommended by many guideline committees to encourage the thorough histologic documentation necessary for optimal management of patients with melanoma.

Methods: One hundred fifty-one pathologists from 40 US states interpreted 41 invasive melanoma cases. For each synoptic reporting factor, the authors identified cases with "complete agreement" (all participants recorded the same value) versus any disagreement.

Terminology for melanocytic skin lesions and the MPATH-Dx classification schema: A survey of dermatopathologists.

Background: Diagnostic terms used in histopathology reports of cutaneous melanocytic lesions are not standardized. We describe dermatopathologists' views regarding diverse diagnostic terminology and the utility of the Melanocytic Pathology Assessment Tool and Hierarchy for Diagnosis (MPATH-Dx) for categorizing melanocytic lesions.

Methods: July 2018-2019 survey of board-certified and/or fellowship-trained dermatopathologists with experience interpreting melanocytic lesions.

Malpractice and Patient Safety Concerns.

Objectives: "Assurance behaviors," a type of defensive medicine, involve physicians' utilization of additional patient services to avoid adverse legal outcomes. We aim to compare the use of clinical behaviors (such as ordering additional tests, services, and consultations) due to malpractice concerns with the same behaviors due to patient safety concerns.

Methods: A national sample of dermatopathologists (n = 160) completed an online survey.

Factors associated with use of immunohistochemical markers in the histopathological diagnosis of cutaneous melanocytic lesions.

Background: Melanocytic tumors are often challenging and constitute almost one in four skin biopsies. Immunohistochemical (IHC) studies may assist diagnosis; however, indications for their use are not standardized.

Methods: A test set of 240 skin biopsies of melanocytic tumors was examined by 187 pathologists from 10 US states, interpreting 48 cases in Phase I and either 36 or 48 cases in Phase II.

Dermatopathologists' Experience With and Perceptions of Patient Online Access to Pathologic Test Result Reports.

Importance: Many patients presently have access to their pathologic test result reports via online patient portals, yet little is known about pathologists' perspective on this topic.

Objective: To examine dermatopathologists' experience and perceptions of patient online access to pathology reports.

Design, Setting, And Participants: A survey of 160 dermatopathologists currently practicing in the United States who are board certified and/or fellowship trained in dermatopathology was conducted between July 15, 2018, and September 23, 2019.

Pathologists' agreement on treatment suggestions for melanocytic skin lesions.

Background: Although treatment guidelines exist for melanoma in situ and invasive melanoma, guidelines for other melanocytic skin lesions do not exist.

Objective: To examine pathologists' treatment suggestions for a broad spectrum of melanocytic skin lesions and compare them with existing guidelines.

Methods: Pathologists (N = 187) completed a survey and then provided diagnoses and treatment suggestions for 240 melanocytic skin lesions.

Assessment of Second-Opinion Strategies for Diagnoses of Cutaneous Melanocytic Lesions.

Importance: Histopathologic criteria have limited diagnostic reliability for a range of cutaneous melanocytic lesions.

Objective: To evaluate the association of second-opinion strategies by general pathologists and dermatopathologists with the overall reliability of diagnosis of difficult melanocytic lesions.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This diagnostic study used samples from the Melanoma Pathology Study, which comprises 240 melanocytic lesion samples selected from a dermatopathology laboratory in Bellevue, Washington, and represents the full spectrum of lesions from common nevi to invasive melanoma.

Concordance and Reproducibility of Melanoma Staging According to the 7th vs 8th Edition of the .

Importance: The recently updated American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) classification of cancer staging, the , 8th edition (), includes revisions to definitions of T1a vs T1b or greater. The Melanoma Pathology Study database affords a comparison,of pathologists' concordance and reproducibility in the microstaging of melanoma according to both the existing 7th edition ) and the new .

Objective: To compare and to examine whether changes to the definitions of T1a and T1b or greater are associated with changes in concordance and reproducibility.

Characteristics and diagnostic performance of pathologists who enjoy interpreting melanocytic lesions.

Diagnostic discrepancy among pathologists interpreting melanocytic skin lesions (MSL) is an ongoing concern for patient care. Given that job satisfaction could impact patient care, this study aimed to characterize which pathologists enjoy interpreting MSL and estimate the association between enjoyment and diagnostic accuracy. Pathologists' demographics, training, and experience were obtained by a cross-sectional survey.