78
processed specimens. Other parameters such as tumor budding,
neoplastic phenotyping, and molecular markers (e.g., HER2
amplification) can be assessed if appropriate.2 Materials
- Collect the specimen along with a completed pathology
request form and prepare tissue cassettes - Standard personal protection and dissection equipment
3 Methods
- Put on the personal protection equipment, prepare the dissec-
tion equipment, check specimen identification matches on
request form, specimen container label, and cassettes, and
check dictation equipment (see Note 1). - The specimen must be adequately fixed, after being pinned to
a board by the endoscopist (gastroenterologist) (see Note 2
and Fig. 1a–c). - Record the specimen description. The following features
should be described:
- Number of pieces of specimen received.
- Specimen size.
- Orientation (if provided); standard orientation is to iden-
tify proximal and distal ends of the specimen. - Specimen integrity (whether it is intact, disrupted, or with
defects). - Any macroscopic tumor noted.
- If the tumor is found, measure the size and note the
appearance (Nodular/polypoid/ulcerated). - Distance of the lesion from visible lesion to the margins.
- Photograph the specimen (see Note 3).
- Ink the margins according to orientation (see Note 4).
- Slice the specimen according to Fig. 2 and embed the entire
specimen (see Note 5).
*Accurate microscopic examination essentially depends on sat-
isfactory handling of the specimen (see Note 6).
Benjamin M. Allanson and M. Priyanthi Kumarasinghe