Tag Archives: Lymph nodes

January 2023—The definition of “adequate” per the Merriam-Webster dictionary is “sufficient for a specific need.” In cytopathology, it is defined by the quantity and quality of the cellular material sampled. The final interpretation of a cytopathology report is almost universally preceded by an adequacy statement. While the essence of “adequacy” stays the same, its application varies depending on the specimen type and the site sampled. Furthermore, in the current era of personalized medicine, the definition of adequacy has expanded from “enough cells to make a morphologic diagnosis” to “enough cells to make a diagnosis and perform ancillary studies.”

July 2020—When patients who have colorectal cancer surgery at another institution seek further care at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, the Beth Israel pathologists routinely request the original slides. Raul S. Gonzalez, MD, a gastrointestinal pathologist at Beth Israel, says he usually agrees with everything the outside pathologist reports. But if there are differences, lymph nodes versus tumor deposits is one place where he might disagree.