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Fall 2002
From the Editor's Desk
Art Weinberg
¡Buenos días, amigos! Fair
weather prevailed at the fall SPP meeting in Dallas, Tejas, and a wonderful
time was had by all. One hundred and thirty five people attended the
meeting and brought along 14 guests, which represents a great turn out for
an interim meeting and may even be a record. The quality of the scientific
presentations was excellent and was complemented by sage and practical
comments and questions from an attentive room-filling audience. To
paraphrase an opinion expressed by Harvey Rosenberg, an attendee of
particularly sharp wit and intellect: “I actually came away with some
practical information that I can use” -- a compliment indeed. Although
we did not chase heifers in an outdoor coral (Dallas, 1986), we did chase
down margaritas with Dos Equis while we watched armadillo races and danced
the night away (see photos below). Bob Bolande (Cellular Aspects of
Developmental Pathology) flew in from North Carolina to be the guest of
honor. Thanks to all of you who traveled from near and far to make this a
most successful meeting. We are all looking forward to the riverboats in
Cincinnati next October.
President's
Message
Henry F. Krous
Challenges - Changing But Never Ending
Our Society faces critical challenges. They
include not only expansion of efforts inspired by Ron Jaffe to extend
expertise and resources to our colleagues in less advantaged countries and
to enhance opportunities for pediatric pathologists in forensic pathology,
the theme of my presidency, but also to increase the number of pediatric
pathologists and to establish standards of practice. The Long Term
Planning Committee will focus on these issues and will bring suggestions
for implementation to appropriate committees. There has not been a period
in my memory when there were more unfilled fellowship and faculty
positions in pediatric pathology. And the need to fill these open
positions is more important than ever given the ever-increasing knowledge
and expertise required to practice competent pediatric pathology. We will
likely face in the short term the filling of some of these positions by
general pathologists rather than by individuals who have completed a
pediatric pathology fellowship. The difficulty is compounded by the fact
that the percentage of graduating medical school students entering
pathology has declined over the past decades. I urge each of you to
increase your recruiting efforts in your own medical schools and
hospitals. Work with your Deans and Department Chairpersons to ensure that
the excitement and importance of pediatric pathology is brought before our
students and residents; that pediatric pathologists teach pediatric
pathology. Clerkships are another opportunity to share the fulfillment of
a career in pediatric pathology with students on an individual basis. And,
remember that our greatest allies in the promotion of the role and
importance of pediatric pathologists are our clinical colleagues
practicing in all areas of pediatric care.
Establishing standards of practice is a
potentially thorny but important issue. Development and implementation of
clinical practice pathways by physicians in individual hospitals
has undoubtedly improved outcomes and decreased costs. This has been a
considerable achievement given the inherently contradictory nature of
these goals, particularly in these times of economic recession and managed
health care. On the other hand, it is clear that no individual or agency
is better qualified to establish and to advocate standards of practice in
pediatric pathology than pediatric pathologists themselves. Honest
differences of opinion regarding standards of practice and potential
medicolegal issues will complicate achievement of this goal. But I have no
doubt that we will succeed if we keep focused on our most important
mission - doing what is best to restore, maintain and enhance the health
and potential of children.
Fall Interim Meeting
Beverly Rogers and her colleagues at
Children’s Medical Center of Dallas deserve rich praise and
congratulations for conducting a very successful and informative Fall 2002
Interim Meeting. The papers were superb, the facilities were outstanding,
and the celebration of the Republic of Texas culture was great fun. It was
my honor to present a plaque of appreciation to Art Weinberg for his
many contributions to the Society, including serving as President,
Councilor, Chair of the Education and Finance Committees, Editor of the
Newsletter and designer of the Society logo.
Also, our standing committees continued to
fulfill their responsibilities in conducting the Society’s affairs, and
their chairs provided cogent reports to council for consideration and
action. The generosity and commitment of the chairs and committee members
ensures that the Society will remain a dynamic organization through which
pediatric pathologists are able to address many of their service,
educational, and research needs. Deb Perry again deserves particular
praise and thanks for her countless hours of diligent service as
Secretary-Treasurer, surely the most demanding officer position in the
Society.
Remembering
Before closing, I urge remembrance of three
of our most distinguished members, Drs. Larry Becker, Kurt Aterman and
Robert Kirschner, each of whom contributed greatly to our Society and to
pediatric pathology. Each inspired, mentored and guided members of our
Society to higher levels of commitment and contribution to the goals and
ideals of pediatric pathology. Our deepest condolences go to each of their
families.
Committee
Reports
PUBLICATIONS COMMITTEE
Steve Qualman, Chair
Art Weinberg will step down as
editor of the SPP Newsletter after the spring meeting, having completed
his three-year tenure. The Publications Committee thanks him for all of
his contributions. Margaret Collins was approved unanimously by the
Publications Committee and Council to become the new editor beginning in
2003.
Future volumes of Perspectives in Pediatric
Pathology will be offered for purchase directly to SPP members. Volume 24,
Molecular Mechanisms in Development and Pediatric Pathology, was offered
for $50 at the last SPP meeting. Should revenues exceed costs of
production, excess proceeds will go to the SPP treasury to fund future
Perspectives volumes.
Volume number 25 is edited by Margaret
Collins, assisted by David Witte, and will include a series of updates and
new articles on pediatric gastrointestinal pathology. Volume number 26 in
the “Perspectives” series will be devoted to diseases of the central
nervous system, edited by Hannah Kinney based on the symposium that she
led at the SPP Meeting in March, 2002. The volume will be dedicated to Dr.
Larry Becker as affirmed by the Publications Committee.
Hal Pinar noted that “on-line” abstract
submission has yet to be achieved by the SPP. A firm plan and associated
budget to achieve such will be circulated before the spring 2003 Meeting
of the SPP in Washington, DC.
Hal Pinar noted that the most frequently
used part of the SPP website is the membership database. He plans to
create a more user-friendly interface that will allow updates to be made
directly by members via password entry similar to the USCAP database. He
also plans to conduct a membership survey regarding suggested improvements
to the website and to redesign the website for easier upkeep. Finally, he
hopes to allow for digital image archives in the future (e.g. upload
pictures into the membership database).
RESEARCH COMMITTEE
Raj Kapur, Chair
A highlight of the Dallas meeting was the
inauguration of the SPP Resident Case Presentation Award. The RCPA
was created this past year to foster the interests of pathology residents
in the subspecialty of pediatric pathology. The recipients of the award
were selected from a competitive field of 22 applicants (details about the
application process are available at the SPP website). The response to
this award initiative was so well received that the Society has decided to
offer the award again next year.
Three outstanding young pathology residents
shared this year’s award at the Dallas meeting. The award funded their
meeting expenses and offered them the opportunity to interact with our
collegial group in a fantastic setting. Each recipient presented a poster
at the meeting and gave a brief oral presentation of their case. They also
attended "Lunch with the Legends", a unique dining experience
with three of the luminary figures in our group.
The recipients of the RCPA this year and
the subjects of their presentations are as follows:
- Amy Heerema (UCSF / Stanford):
Lymphomatoid granulomatosis
- Brigitte Nixon (University of
Washington): Heterotaxy syndrome
- Dinesh Rakheja (University of Texas
Southwestern): Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome
EDUCATION COMMITTEE
Jeffrey Goldstein, Chair
The Education Committee responsibilities,
as outlined in the Society bylaws, include a broad range of duties. The
committee’s four subcommittees each focus on one or more of these
duties. A summary of the Committee’s recent activities, including
actions taken at the fall meeting, follows.
CME subcommittee:
The Society’s eligibility to grant CME
credit rests on maintaining its accreditation with the Accreditation
Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME). We were granted full
accreditation following our survey in the fall of 2001, but are required
to submit a progress report this November addressing areas of
non-compliance. Lisa Teot, our CME Coordinator, indicates that the report
is being drafted, and she believes we have rectified the areas of concern.
The progress report will include activities from the recent meeting in
Dallas. We would like to thank Sarah Johnson-Welch, Linda Margraf, and
Charles Timmons for their assistance in complying with all of the CME
requirements, and also thank the meeting monitors, David Witte and Rebecca
Baergen, for preparing the evaluation reports.
The committee’s former chair, Kathleen
Patterson and Lisa have done a tremendous job in organizing the SPP’s
CME program in a way that will make ACCME compliance easier in the future.
The Education Committee Manual, which Kathy revised and updated one more
time after completing her tenure, is now nearly 100 pages long! The manual
is an invaluable resource for our procedures and an ongoing record of the
SPP’s educational programs. As soon as a few further minor revisions are
made, the new version will be distributed to committee members and posted
in the members’ section of spponline.org. The Society owes a great debt
to both Lisa and Kathy for their efforts, and I would like to personally
thank them for helping to make my transition into the chair a smooth one.
The CME Subcommittee also works closely
with the host sponsors of the Interim fall meetings. Plans are already
underway for the next three years.
Cincinnati 2003: The meeting will be held
October 17 and 18, 2003 to correspond with the Tall Stacks Riverboat
celebration. The symposium organized by David Witte is Lysosomal
Storage Diseases: At the Forefront of Biotherapeutics. The tentative
speakers and topics are:
- Robert J. Dresnick, Ph.D., M.D. - Fabry
disease and its enzyme therapy
- Emil Kakkis, M.D., Ph.D. - Phenotypic
spectrum of mucopolysaccharidosis I variants and effects of enzyme
therapy
- Y.T. Chen, M.D., Ph.D. - Inroads
into enzyme therapy of Pompe disease (GSDII)
- Gregory A Grabowski, M.D. - Gaucher
disease and its therapies
2003 Perinatal Section Symposium: October
19, 2003. The symposium, organized by Dr. Ray Redline, is on Pre-eclampsia.
Little Rock 2004: October 28 to 30, 2004.
David Parham is coordinating this meeting which will feature the
symposium, Modern Pediatric Forensic Pathology.
Paris 2005: Liliane Boccon-Gibod is
coordinating our first transatlantic meeting in many years, which will
be held jointly with the Paediatric Pathology Society (PPS). The meeting
will be Thursday, September 1, 2005 to Saturday, September 3, 2005; and
will be followed by the European Congress of Pathology meeting. The
actual venue will probably be outside of Paris, possibly in Dijon,
because accommodations will be more affordable and promote interaction
with our European colleagues.
A reminder for SPP members who are involved
in the preparation of program materials for CME activities. Please submit
all program announcements, registration materials, brochures and program
booklets to the CME Coordinator prior to printing to ensure that they
contain the most up to date versions of the accreditation and disclosure
statements and otherwise conform to ACCME requirements.
Abstract subcommittee:
The abstract subcommittee includes 3 full
committee members and 3 additional ad hoc members for abstract review. We
would like to thank the ad hoc reviewers for this year: Ajit Alles, Kevin
Bove, and Deb Schofield.
Laura Finn, the subcommittee chair, reports
that for the fall meeting 43 abstracts were submitted with 30 accepted
(67%). This is a greater number of abstracts than has ever been submitted
for a fall meeting. Numbers of general anatomic pathology and perinatal/placental
abstracts were roughly equal with a small number of clinical pathology and
laboratory medicine abstracts. All of the latter were accepted.
Online abstract submission services are
still being investigated, as it appears too expensive to use the same
vendor USCAP currently uses. We hope to have this in place for the spring
2004 meeting. Online submission will ensure uniform formatting and font
size, which will aid the review process and publication. While it is
likely that the Society will have to charge between $20 and $30 for
abstract submission to offset the cost of this process, many authors would
save the cost of the air express services they currently use for
submission. If anyone has concerns about the impact of this anticipated
change and the corresponding expense, please contact Laura or myself. The
current abstract submission form is available for download from
spponline.org.
Digital projection of abstracts was
discussed in Dallas. All abstracts for the 2003 spring meeting will
continue to be in transparency format, but all abstracts for the
Cincinnati fall meeting will require digital projection format. The USCAP
may convert to digital projection as early as 2004; the committee agreed
to have the spring meeting format change coincide with that of the USCAP.
Workshop/Symposium subcommittee:
David Witte, the subcommittee chair, has
put together an excellent educational program for this coming spring’s
meeting, which he also will be moderating. The symposia are intended to
focus on new advances in scientific knowledge of interest to the pediatric
pathology community. The title for Saturday's symposium will be
Mitochondrial Disorders in Children and Adolescents. Participants
include:
- Bruce H. Cohen, M.D., Cleveland Clinic
Foundation, Clinical overview of
mitochondrial disorders in Children.
- Charles L. Hoppel, M.D., Case Western
Reserve University School of Medicine, Mitochondria
and recognition of abnormal function.
- James V. Leonard, Institute of Child
Healthy, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, Understanding
the molecular genetics of mitochondrial disorders.
- Harvey B. Sarnat, M.D., UCLA School of
Medicine, Pathology of
mitochondrial cytopathies. .
This symposium is intended for pediatric
pathologists, pathologists, fellows, residents and other medical
practitioners who provide diagnostic examinations of pathological
specimens or care for patients who suffer from a wide range of disorders
in children and adolescents as a result of mitochondrial dysfunction.
Two new workshops will be offered beginning
in 2003; these workshops address frequent requests gleaned from prior
meeting evaluations and should provide valuable practice-related updates
for pediatric and surgical pathologists.
- Vascular Tumors and Anomalies in
Children
, Harry Kozakewich,
M.D., Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Boston MA and Paula North,
M.D., Arkansas Children’s Hospital, Little Rock AK.
Pediatric Dermatopathology: A Practical
Approach to Diagnosis, Vijaya
B. Reddy, M.D. and Aliya N. Husain, M.D., Chicago, IL.
Four continuing workshops will be offered
at the spring 2003 meeting.
- Update on Problems and Controversies in
Placental Pathology,
Rebecca
Baergen, MD, New York-Presbyterian Hospital, New York, NY and Ona
Faye-Petersen, University of Alabama, Birmingham, AL (second year
offered).
Pediatric Soft Tissue Pathology:
Diagnostic Principles, Challenges, and New Concepts,
Cheryl Coffin, MD, Primary Children’s Hospital, Salt Lake City, UT
(second year offered).
Morphology of Complex Congenital Heart
Disease, William A. Devine, B.S.,
Children’s Hospital, Pittsburgh, PA and Carole A. Vogler, M.D., St.
Louis University Health Sciences Center, St. Louis, MO (third and final
year offered).
Selected Diagnostic Problems and
Controversies in Pediatric GI
Pathology, Pierre Russo, M.D. and Eduardo D. Ruchelli, M.D., Children's
Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA (third and final year offered).
A new workshop proposal for 2004 was
accepted from Dr. Deborah Heller, University Hospital of New Jersey. Her
workshop will be Pediatric Gynecologic Pathology with Clinical
Correlations. The committee also identified a need to address
practical issues of liver biopsy handling and diagnosis. A workshop on
this topic was last offered in 1992-1994. The Symposium and Workshop
subcommittee was asked to identify potential presenters and solicit a
proposal on this topic for a workshop beginning in 2004.
Presenters of new workshop proposals will
be required to develop digital presentations. The new workshops for 2003
will be encouraged to develop digital presentations, and ongoing workshop
presenters will be given the option to convert to digital presentation if
they desire. Digital presentation will also be available for the 2003
symposium. The transition to digital workshop presentations should
facilitate the posting of workshops on the SPP website at the completion
of their term, where they will hopefully have an “afterlife” for our
members and other pathologists. The committee also approved requiring
presenters of new workshops beginning in 2004 to provide images in CD-ROM
format, rather than transparency, for distribution to attendees.
Presenters of the new workshops for 2003 are encouraged to provide CD-ROM
images, and continuing workshop presenters may provide digital images if
they like.
Extramural subcommittee:
The extramural subcommittee’s role is to
focus attention on the SPP’s educational interactions with other
scientific groups and societies. Two major activities are proceeding under
this subcommittee.
- COG Update - We identified a need to
provide the Children’s Oncology Group with a venue to present
updated information on protocol requirements, biology studies and
trial results that would reach a larger audience of affiliated
institutional pathologists than the COG meetings, which are generally
attended by only disease chairs and reviewers. We hope the COG update
will become a standing item on the interim meeting program, probably
in a breakfast setting format. The committee approved inclusion of a
COG Update at the 2003 and 2004 interim meetings.
- Free standing perinatal-placental course
proposal - At the spring 2002 Council meeting, Council authorized
further investigation of a freestanding perinatal course under SPP
sponsorship. Ona Faye-Petersen has volunteered to be “Course
Director in-planning”. With the assistance of Mr. Crimmons and the
USCAP staff, she will be developing a more detailed feasibility plan
and financial projections to be presented at the spring 2003 meeting.
Assuming an affirmative outcome from these studies, we hope to be able
to offer the course in late 2004 or early 2005. The course will be
primarily for general pathologists and trainees to assist them in the
evaluation of perinatal and placental specimens. . Dr. Faye-Petersen
would like to receive suggestions for the course from the membership
regarding venue, meeting length, target audience physicians, and
potential topics for inclusion.
PRACTICE COMMITTEE
Ted Pysher, Chair
The SPP Practice Committee met on Thursday,
September 26, prior to the fall meeting in Dallas. Drs. Davis, Hicks,
Johnson-Welch, Kim, Kohut, Montefiore, Novak, Pysher, and Rabah attended.
Drs. Jaffe, deSa, and Jockin were guests.
Final revisions to the SPP Position Paper
on Perinatal and Pediatric Postmortem Examination were approved. The SPP
Council also approved this document, which has been posted on the SPP
Website (SPP
Members need to logon the Members Only area to see the paper),
together with links to pages on the websites of the College of American
Pathologists and Royal College of Pathologists dealing with the autopsy.
Comments on the paper, or recommendations for additional links should be
sent to Dr. Pysher at pctpyshe@ihc.com.
The Case Study Survey Subcommittee chaired
by Dr. Gloria Kohut is finalizing the cases for the 2003 cycle and
registration forms for the Survey will be included in the annual dues
statement. Only a few perinatal and placental cases were submitted for the
Survey. Any SPP members may submit cases, and those wanting to do so
should contact Dr. Kohut at Gloria.Kohut@spectrum-health.org.
In addition to the 15 glass slide cases, we will be piloting a projection
slide format for a small biopsy case, and look forward to the comments of
subscribers. Dr. Bob Novak, who has served as Coordinator of the Survey
for many years, will be posting a few older cases on the SPP Website, and
the committee also looks forward to member comments about this use of the
material.
SPP members will also be receiving a
practice patterns questionnaire in the annual dues mailing. Please
complete and return this form, as the data will be used to gauge workforce
needs and plan future activities of the SPP. An electronic copy of the
form can be downloaded from the SPP Website (click
to open the Word document), completed, and then e-mailed as an
attachment to Dr. Mary Davis at mdavis2@iupui.edu.
Alternatively, you can chose a
PDF version, and mail the completed form to Dr. Davis.
FELLOWSHIP COMMITTEE
Alba Greco, Chair
A fellowship program survey recently
completed by the fellowship committee is now posted in detail on the SPP
website. The survey showed the following:
Programs with filled positions for
2002-2003 = 10
Programs with filled positions for
2003-2004 = 10
The fellowship program list on the website
has also been updated. Program Directors should send notice to Alba Greco
or Hal Pinar of any revisions to this information so that the list can be
kept current. New programs will be added to the list as soon as complete
information is received.
The committee is gathering information to
prepare guidelines that should help program directors deal with the “evaluation
and competency” of pediatric pathology fellows during their training.
The committee would appreciate any input relating to these topics. Please
share your thoughts with Alba Greco.
NOMINATING COMMITTEE
Derek deSa, Chair
The nominating committee approved the
following slate of officers:
President: Denis Benjamin
Secretary-Treasurer: Hal Pinar
Councilor at-large: Kathleen Patterson
Councilor at-large: David Witte
Two new committee chairs were appointed to
replace long-serving chairmen of the Research and Practice Committees (Raj Kapur and Ted Pysher,
respectively) after their terms are completed in March. Gail Deutsch
(Research) and Gareth Jevon (Practice) will assume the chairs of these
committees. The Society owes each of the retiring committee chairs a great
debt of gratitude for the service they have given us.
Deb Perry steps down as Secretary/Treasurer
next spring after 5 years of outstanding work. I need hardly remind the
members that without her work, and that of her predecessors, this Society
could not function. From me, personally , and on the behalf of all
members; "Thanks Deb! We would be in a mess without your
contribution.”
LONG TERM PLANNING COMMITTEE
Cheryl Coffin, Chair
Minutes of Long Term
Planning Committee Meeting
September 28, 2002
2:00 to 4:00 p.m.
Dallas, TX
I. Charge to the Committee (SPP Bylaws,
Article VI, Section 6.b).
- This committee shall study topics of
general and special interest and concern to pediatric pathologists,
particularly those relating to the present and future long-term
goals and policies of the Society.
- It shall deliberate and recommend
means and explore avenues whereby these goals and aims could be
implemented and broadened.
- It will also be within the scope of
this committee to overview the relationship of the Society to other
scientific bodies, and to suggest changes in overall direction of
the Society.
- The committee will be responsible for
the development of long-range plans (five and ten years) for the
Society, and for periodic review of those plans.
- The committee shall report to the
Council.
II. Past activities of the Long Term
Planning Committee
- The Fall, 2001, Long Term Planning
Report was reviewed by Dr. Charles Timmons and minutes from this
meeting were circulated.
- Review of committee activities from
the more distant past was discussed by the group.
- Action Item: Cheryl Coffin will draft
a report of accomplishments from previous Long Term Planning
Committee activities and will circulate it to the committee for
editing.
III. Current and new priorities for the
Long Term Planning Committee
- A
group discussion by committee members and guests revealed the
following list of priorities and opportunities for improvement,
listed below in order of frequency.
- Manpower and recruitment into
pediatric pathology
- Scholarship, research, and academic
development
- Practice standards and clinical
excellence
- Value of pediatric pathology as a
specialty from the clinical perspective
- Outreach
- Medical, legal, forensic, and
ethical issues
- Medical student and resident
education in pediatric pathology
- Continuing medical education in
pediatric pathology
- Other priorities less frequently
mentioned: subspecialty expertise, workload of pediatric
pathologists, Society for Pediatric Pathology diploma, patient
safety, evidence-based medicine, telepathology, data repository on
value of the pediatric autopsy, and collaborations between the
USCAP and the SPP.
- Action Item: A draft of a preliminary
strategic plan will be prepared by Cheryl Coffin and other committee
members based on the results of this discussion and past committee
activities. The preliminary strategic plan will be an agenda item
for the Fall, 2003, Long Term Planning Committee meeting.
IV. Outreach
- A. Denis Benjamin, Derek deSa, Hector
Monforte, and Henry Krous discussed ideas for international outreach
and specific projects, with further discussion from committee
members.
- B. Action Item: Denis, Derek, Hector,
and Henry will prepare a specific set of recommendations for
outreach by the Society for Pediatric Pathology and its members and
will present it at a future committee meeting.
V. Future activities
- When a strategic plan has been
developed, it will be presented to the SPP Council, and suggestions
will be made for involvement of appropriate committees.
- A process for annual review of the
strategic plan and its accomplishments will be discussed at future
meetings of the Long Term Planning Committee and the SPP Council.
DISTINCTION AND AWARDS COMMITTEE
Antonio R. Perez-Atayde, Chair
Lotte Strauss Lecture
The Lotte Strauss Prize, which is awarded
annually to the author of the best paper published on a subject germane to
pediatric pathology in the preceding year by an individual 40 years of age
or younger, was awarded to Dr. Jean-Christophe Fournet during the 2002
spring meeting in Chicago. He received the prize as
first author of the paper: Unbalanced Expression of 11p15 Imprinted
Genes in Focal Forms of Congenital Hyperinsulinism. Association with a
Reduction to Homozygosity of a Mutation in ABCC8 or KCNJ11, published
in the American Journal of Pathology, 2001;158:2177. During the
recent fall meeting in Dallas he presented the Lotte
Strauss Lecture entitled Congenital Hyperinsulinism: When Molecular
Biology Meets Morphology. His lecture was superb, very well received,
and generated many questions and lively discussion. Dr. Fournet,
formerly at Necker-Enfants Malades in Paris, is currently an Invited
Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of
Montreal and staff Pediatric Pathologist at Hopital Sainte-Justine,
Montreal, Quebec.
Awards for scientific presentations at the
Dallas meeting
At the SPP’s September meeting in Dallas,
TX, two individuals were recognized for meritorious scientific efforts.
The Vawter Pathologist in Training Award
was presented to Dr. Payal Kapur, M.D. Children’s Medical Center,
Dallas, TX for her paper: MIB-1 labeling index predicts
progression free survival in a large group of pediatric pilocytic
astrocytomas. (see abstract below)
The Neustein "Novel
Technology" Award was presented to Dr. Philip J Katzman,
University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY for his paper Cardiac
registry screening for DiGeorge critical region deletion using loss of
heterozygosity (LOH) analysis. (see abstract below)
Vawter Award Abstract:
MIB-1 LABELING INDEX PREDICTS PROGRESSION
FREE SURVIVAL IN A LARGE GROUP OF PEDIATRIC PILOCYTIC ASTROCYTOMAS.
P. Kapur, MD; D. Bowers, MD; L. Gargan,
PhD; J. Reisch, PhD; L. Margraf, MD, Children's Medical Center and
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX.
Pilocytic astrocytoma (PA), a common and
often indolent tumor, may show more aggressive behavior in a subset of
cases. Tumor histology is a poor predictor of clinical outcome and
previous studies of the MIB-1 labeling index (LI) have been inconclusive
in predicting progression free survival (PFS). We evaluated the MIB-1 LI
as a predictor of PFS in PA. We reviewed the clinical data of 141 children
with PA, treated at our institution between 1982 and 2000. The mean age at
diagnosis was 7.5 years (range: 0.4-18.6). The mean follow up period was
4.5 years (range: 0.1 to 16.4). 54 (38%) children underwent complete
surgical resection. The PFS and overall survival were 62% and 94%,
respectively. Immunostaining for MIB-1 (Ki-67, Dako) was performed on
paraffin sections, and MIB-1 LI was determined in 118 patients. The MIB-1
LI ranged from 0.1 to 9.1 (mean =1.6 +/-1.6). By log rank analysis, the
PFS was significantly higher for children with a tumor MIB-1 LI of <2.0
(p=0.02). There was no statistically significant correlation between MIB-1
LI and patient’s sex, age at diagnosis, time for tumor progression, or
location of tumor. Tumor progression resulted in a higher MIB-1 LI in 8
out of the 11 cases (73%) that underwent further surgery. We propose that
routine use of MIB-1 staining may help in prognostication of PA.
Neustein Award Abstract:
CARDIAC REGISTRY SCREENING FOR DIGEORGE
CRITICAL REGION DELETION USING LOSS OF HETEROZYGOSITY (LOH) ANALYSIS.
PJ Katzman, MD; G Cox, MD; L Smoot, MD,
Children's Hospital, Boston, MA and University of Rochester Medical
Center, Rochester, NY.
Background: DiGeorge(DGS),
velocardiofacial(VCFS), and conotruncal anomaly face(CTAFS) syndromes
represent a phenotypic spectrum with a submicroscopic 22q11.2 deletion in
common. These syndromes variably express complex congenital heart disease;
cellular immunity deficits; hypocalcemia; facial anomalies; and learning
disabilities. A retrospective study of patients with well-characterized
cardiac anomalies is presented that correlates the presence of deletion
with autopsy and clinical findings.
Methods: DNA
was extracted from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded cardiac tissue sampled
from 191 patients with conotruncal anomalies in the Cardiac Registry of
Boston Children's Hospital. PCR was performed using 4 fluorescent-labeled
oligonucleotide primer pairs in the DiGeorge critical region. PCR products
were multiplex sequenced and the allelic sizes were analyzed. A deletion
was considered probable when 3 or 4 consecutive loci demonstrated LOH.
Results: 20
(10%) of 191 patients demonstrated probable deletions. 6 of the 20
patients were DiGeorge patients with various conotruncal anomalies. Of the
remaining 14 patients, 6 had aortic atresia and 3 had tetralogy of Fallot.
Discussion: This
study used an alternative to FISH for detecting 22q11.2 deletions in
archived tissue samples. The patients with LOH are currently being
analyzed using 10 primer pairs to confirm the presence of a deletion.
Comings
and Goings
Dr. Dagmar Kalousek retired on September 1
after 30 years of outstanding clinical work and contributions to pediatric
pathology. She can be reached at:
joe.kalousek@nrc.ca
Dr. D.K. Kalousek
3168 West 44th Avenue,
Vancouver, B.C.
V6N 3K6
Welcome New
Member
Regular:
Dr. Maria S. Correa-Rivas, Assistant
Professor, University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine
Other
Announcements
A reminder from the Abstract
Subcommittee:
Each abstract submission to the SPP
requires the author’s signature verifying the elements in the disclosure
statement. Your attention is being drawn again to item #1 on the form that
reads “This abstract is original material not previously published or
submitted for publication or presentation at another meeting.” We hope
all participants abide by this SPP policy.
Call for
Nominations
Lotte Strauss Prize
The Lotte Strauss Prize
recognizes meritorious work by an individual 40 years of age or younger in
a subject germane to pediatric pathology, published or accepted for
publication during the 2002. The winner, who will receive a $1000 cash
prize and expenses to attend and present at the fall 2003 meeting of the
Society, will be announced at the spring 2003 SPP meeting. Nomination
requires submission of five copies of the completed paper, a letter from
the nominee, sponsor (if the nominee is not an SPP member), and five
copies of the nominee's curriculum vitae. If anyone has any questions
please contact or call Dr. Perez-Atayde at the number below.
Antonio R. Perez-Atayde MD
Children's Hospital
Department of Pathology
300 Longwood Avenue
Boston, MA 02115
617-355-7431
antonio.perezatayde@TCH.Harvard.edu
Call for Applications
Young Investigator
Research Grant
Goals:
- To foster research within the SPP by
providing funds to young investigators in pediatric pathology.
- To fund a pilot project which will lead
to long-term research support from other granting agencies.
Use of Funds:
The funds are to be used to facilitate basic or applied research by a
young investigator in the field of pediatric pathology. Research into any
aspect of pediatric disease will be considered, including morphological,
biochemical, behavioral, physiological, genetic, and epidemiological
studies. Appropriate expenditures include capital equipment, reagents and
supplies, research-related travel, salary supplementation, service costs
(e.g., electron microscopy, histology), and animal care costs. Indirect
costs are not allowed.
Eligibility:
Applicants must be
- a MD, PhD, DDS, DVM, or DO
AND
- either a resident or fellow, full-time,
in an accredited pathology training program or a
faculty/staff person in pediatric pathology for less than 5 years, or
working in the laboratory of a faculty/staff person in pediatric
pathology
AND
- either a member of the SPP or sponsored
by a member of the SPP
Amount of Award:
An annual award of $10,000 will be made.
Selection Process: Complete
applications must be received by the Research Committee no later than
February 1, 2003. They will be reviewed by the Committee and the award
will be announced at the SPP meeting in March. Consideration will be given
to scientific merit and the background and career goals of the applicant.
Award funding will begin July 1, 2003.
Application Instructions:
Application Instructions can be downloaded directly from the SPP website. (Click here to download).
Completed applications should be sent to Raj P. Kapur, M.D., Ph.D.,
Chairman of the Research Committee, Department of Pathology - Box 359300
CH37, Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center, 4800 Sand Point Way
NE, Seattle, Washington 98105.
Call for Applications
A. James McAdams Short
Term Study Stipend
Background: The
Society for Pediatric Pathology and Children’s Hospital Medical Center
of Cincinnati established the Short-Term Study Stipend to honor A James
McAdams, M.D, by promoting opportunities for pediatric pathologists to
learn investigative techniques that are not available at their
institution.
Goals:
- To honor the memory of A. James McAdams,
M.D.
- To facilitate training of pediatric
pathologists in investigative techniques available at other
institutions.
Use of Funds: The
funds may be used to offset travel and living expenses incurred by a
pediatric pathologist who visits another institution in order to develop
new research skills related to either clinical or laboratory
investigations.
Eligibility:
Applicants must be
- a MD or DO
AND
- either a resident or fellow, full-time,
in an accredited pathology training program or a
faculty/staff person in pediatric pathology
AND
- either a member of the SPP or sponsored
by a member of the SPP
Amount of Award:
An annual award of up to $2,000 will be made to support travel and living
expenses for up to one month.
Selection Process: Complete
applications must be received by the Research Committee no later than
February 1, 2003. They will be reviewed by the Committee and the award
will be announced at the SPP meeting in March. Consideration will be given
to scientific merit, the background and career goals of the applicant, the
expertise and/or resources available at the remote institution. Award
funding will begin July 1, 2003.
Application:
An application can be downloaded directly from the SPP website. (Click here to download).
Completed applications should be sent to Raj P. Kapur, M.D., Ph.D.,
Chairman of the Research Committee, Department of Pathology - Box 359300
CH37, Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center, 4800 Sand Point
Way NE, Seattle, Washington 98105.
Upcoming
Meetings
To see the most current list of
upcoming meetings, please refer to our SPP Meetings page.
Positions Available
Please see our SPP Positions Page.
for the most current list of available positions.
Photos from the
Dallas Meeting
Art Weinberg dances Claire Langston out of her
shoes
"YMCA" (low power 4x, trichrome) at the
Saturday dinner
Instructor leads Amy Heerema, Raj Kapur and Brigitte Nixon in "YMCA"
chorus line (40x)
Our fearless leader astride his high horse
Armadillos really do race... if you ask them nicely
Raj Kapur introduces Dr. Fournet, winner of the 2002
Lotte Strauss Prize
Van Savell and Amy Lowichik chair a podium session
Guest of honor, Bob
Bolande, shares some thoughts with the
group
Prize winners, Dinesh Rakheja, Payal Kapur, and Philip Katzman
Our leaders after a productive session of Council. The fellow in
the red shirt
(Steve Qualman is his name) thought that Texas was very near Hawaii.
Beverly Rogers addresses the multitude on Saturday morning
Sue Simonton (with spotted hose, of course), Jeffry Goldstein, Edith
Hawkins,
and Hal Pinar on the patio
Paul Dickman wears his hat from the 1986 Dallas meeting and
holds his 2002 shirt
John Buchino and Kathy Nicol between
sessions
Linda Margraf and Joe Rutledge, who apparently has never before seen a camera
Don Singer, Ilana Ariel, and Bev Rogers on the patio
Victor Saldivar, Craig Zuppan, Charles Timmons, Alba Greco, and
Blair Carpenter relax between sessions
Ona Faye-Petersen, Deb Perry, and Margaret Collins at tea
Harvey Rosenberg, Heather Prashner and Art Weinberg
in the warm Texas sun (editor's prerogative)
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