Challenges in Head and Neck Pathology

The surgical pathologist plays a crucial role in the multidisciplinary team. In nearly all cases, a tissue diagnosis is required to confirm the disease process before treatment begins. Even in settings where the diagnosis appears straightforward, a timely and appropriate report is necessary. The pathologist is also responsible for providing many of the more specific data elements that will guide treatment decisions: examples include evidence of virally driven malignancy, margin status, and the precise depth to which tumor invades. Each of these diagnoses and findings has its own specific set of difficulties and limitations, which require nuanced interpretation by a well-informed pathologist.