Special Issue On the 2022 WHO Classification of Endocrine and Neuroendocrine Tumors: a New Primer for Endocrine Pathology Practice.

Progress made in various aspects of endocrine pathology has provided much-needed information to establish the basis of a new classification of endocrine and neuroendocrine neoplasms. The 2022 WHO classification of endocrine and neuroendocrine tumors defines the new pathology standards that are essential in advancing the clinical and research practices in the field of endocrine and neuroendocrine neoplasia.

This special issue of Endocrine Pathology provides a comprehensive overview of the 2022 WHO classification of endocrine and neuroendocrine neoplasms. The invited authors include Dr. Ian A. Cree, the head of the WHO Classification of Tumors and Evidence Synthesis and Classification at the International Agency for Research on Cancer, and all endocrine disease-expert Editors as well as select authors who were extensively involved in the preparation of the new WHO classification of endocrine and neuroendocrine tumors.

Using a question-and-answer approach, the experts provide a practical overview on advances in tumor classification with novel diagnostic categories and terminologies, translational diagnostic and theranostic biomarkers, and molecular features of endocrine and neuroendocrine neoplasms that are useful to surgical pathologists, endocrinologists, oncologists, surgeons, researchers, patients, and any learner with an interest in endocrine and neuroendocrine neoplasms.

In this special issue, the pre-analytic and analytic technical aspects of tumor proliferation from counting mitoses (per mm2) to the Ki67 proliferation index are discussed by Dr. Cree [1]. Manuscripts include the new classification of pituitary, thyroid, parathyroid, and adrenal cortical neoplasms, as well as paragangliomas and pheochromocytomas, and the entire spectrum of neuroendocrine neoplasms from head to toe [2-7]. In addition, a manuscript focusing on advances and updates in inherited endocrine and neuroendocrine neoplasia syndromes is included [8]. The final article of this special issue focuses on the future, highlighting questions and challenges for endocrine pathologists to address in the coming years [9].

I hope that this special issue of Endocrine Pathology will serve as a valuable reference for both the scientific and the medical audiences. I would like to thank all the authors for their contributions and all handling editors and reviewers for their efforts to ensure the highest standards for these review articles. I also acknowledge the invaluable support of our Executive Editor, Ms. Melissa Ramondetta, and the meticulous work provided by the editorial office as well as the outstanding work of our production coordinator, Ms. Razel Gerona-Avanzado, and her great team that enabled a smooth publication process during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ozgur Mete, MD, FRCPC

Editor-in-Chief, Endocrine Pathology.