Course Description
Head and neck pathology represents a significant portion of surgical pathology practice. Studies have shown this area to be particularly treacherous for community pathologists, with up to 53% of diagnoses changed (including 7% with major changes) upon second review at tertiary care hospitals.

Complicating this inherent difficulty, there have been numerous recent developments in the field of head and neck pathology. Novel entities have been described, pathognomonic molecular alterations have been uncovered, and major shifts in diagnostic classification schemes have been proposed. Many of these concepts were incorporated into the newest editions of the WHO Classifications for Head and Neck and Endocrine Tumors, both of which were published this year.

Learning Objectives
Upon completion of this educational activity, learners will be able to:

– Develop a diagnostic approach to the encapsulated follicular-patterned thyroid nodule
– Develop a diagnostic approach to the “small round blue cell” sinonasal tumor
– Describe the algorithmic approach to HPV testing in a head and neck cancer
– Recognize the updated WHO terminology of salivary gland carcinomas
– Recognize the appropriate WHO grading scheme for squamous dysplasia in the larynx