2026-05-11 - Anatomic Pathology CRG Meeting
Group name
@Scott Campbell @Jim Case @Elaine Wooler @Karim Nashar Hung Luu, stefan dubois, George Birdsong, Eric Daley, Mary Edgerton, Ji Eun Hwang
Date
05/11/2026
Attendees
Apologies
Discussion items
Item | Description | Owner | Notes |
| Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1
| Welcome | @Scott Campbell |
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2
| IHC, antigens, antibodies | @Scott Campbell |
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| Concepts will be modeled as single techniques (single antibody + clone (when appropriate) Chromogen tags will be included with each relevant antibody/clone combination. Cocktails will not be modeled. Rather, each antibody will be listed independently with chromogen color. Review with larger HQ group and DICOM (David Clooney) for fitness of approach. Example concepts reviewed and general agreement that they were as discussed in Vienna and seemed fit for purpose. List of antigens needed for authoring. |
3 | OHSDI items | @Scott Campbell |
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| discussed metastatic neoplasm (morphologic abnormality), and pathologists felt that this was an unnecessary and potentially confusion hierarchy. More to discuss and to include disorder modeling of primary, metastatic and unknown origins |
6 | Other items | @Scott Campbell |
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Meeting Files
Meeting summary
The meeting focused on reviewing immunohistochemistry modeling strategies and discussing cancer taxonomy concepts, particularly around metastatic neoplasms. Scott presented a proposed structure for modeling immunohistochemistry techniques, suggesting they be modeled as single techniques with specific antibody and clone information, including chromogen colors in the naming. The group discussed whether to maintain separate "metastatic neoplasm" concepts as morphologic abnormalities, with participants generally agreeing these concepts should likely be eliminated since they don't make logical sense as distinct morphologies and could cause confusion. The team also touched on how to properly model primary versus secondary tumors and metastatic spread, though this discussion was left incomplete for further consideration.
Next steps
Karim
Scott
Collaboration
Summary
Pathology Team Scheduling and Updates
The team discussed scheduling changes, with Elaine confirming she would need to reschedule tomorrow's meeting due to urgent work. Scott reviewed Christian's materials and identified areas that could be improved, including potential fixes through histology quality improvements and addressing College of American Pathologists findings for synoptic reports. The team welcomed Hung as the new pathologist member, replacing Raj who has rotated off, with Hung having previous experience with myeloid neoplasm work. There was some confusion about meeting invites, with Jieun noting she was excluded from the current meeting series, though Scott confirmed new invites had been sent out.
Histology and Immunohistochemistry Planning
The team discussed their agenda for the next six months, which includes reviewing immunohistochemistry staining techniques, histology quality improvement, and cancer-related items. Scott mentioned the need for monthly updates on the histology quality project to maintain visibility and avoid surprises. Elaine noted they still need to address adenocarcinomas. Stefan raised a question about editorial rules regarding classifying conditions as disorders versus observables, expressing concern about potentially doing duplicate work.
SNOMED Immunohistochemistry Strategy Discussion
The team discussed the distinction between clinical findings and disorders in SNOMED terminology, with Jim explaining that observable entities represent what is observed while disorders represent disease states. Scott presented a proposed immunohistochemistry strategy where concepts would be modeled as single techniques with specific antibody and clone combinations, including chromogen information in the naming structure. The team reviewed examples of PD-L1 immunohistochemistry techniques and discussed how to handle polyclonal stains, with the proposal to include chromogen color and clone information in the naming structure to help algorithms identify the correct markers.
Immunohistochemistry Modeling in SNOMED
The group discussed modeling immunohistochemistry techniques in SNOMED, focusing on how to represent staining methods and combinations in DICOM and HL7 messages. They debated whether to maintain the "metastatic neoplasm" taxonomy as a morphologic abnormality, with consensus emerging that it might be more appropriate to model metastasis as a characteristic of a primary neoplasm rather than a separate morphologic category. The team agreed that any significant changes to these concepts would require broader consultation due to their long-standing presence in SNOMED.