The evolution of pre-analytic factors in Anatomic Pathology.

Anatomic Pathology has continuously evolved since launch by Virchow in Berlin. The era from 1990 to 2010 saw the rise of immunohistochemistry and its application for diagnosis, prognosis, and prediction of response to therapy. Currently the next wave of evolution is ongoing; molecular pathology, with emphasis on alterations to DNA, and expression of mRNA as biomarkers. The interrogation of biomolecules by specific probes is more demanding on specimens than the traditional application of histologic stains to tissue. This issue is juxtaposed to the fact that the majority of specimens are purely evaluated by histomorphology, for which current specimen practices are adequate. The capacity to identify a priori which cassette of tissue is appropriate for molecular analysis is difficult, if not impossible, the goal is to improve the quality of all pathology specimens in an economically viable model to enable advanced assay, when applicable.