The classification of tumors is important for understanding tumor histogenesis, for predicting prognosis, for differential diagnosis, and for recommending appropriate therapy. Since 1836, when pancreatic cancer was first described, progress has been made in pancreatic cancer morphology, and a number of classifications have been proposed. All of these classifications are mainly based on morphological characteristics. Some are too detailed to be of practical use while others are more pragmatic. Some of the inherent problems in the previous classifications included difficulties in obtaining an adequate number of pan creatic tumors for examination and insufficient clinical data and follow-up. With the increasing incidence of pancreatic cancer in many parts of the world during the past six decades, and with the availability of more tumors to patho logists, advances have been made in pancreatic tumor studies. Classifications by Cubilla and Fitzgerald and by Kloppel, which are generally similar, mostly considered prominent morphological features and their histogenesis. These pathology-oriented classifications, although complete, were not practical from the standpoint of clinicians concerned with the prognosis of individual tumors.
Editors and Affiliations
The Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer; Department of Pathology and Microbiology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, USA
Parviz M. Pour
Department of Oncological Pathology, Cancer Center, Nara Medical College, Kashihara, Nara, Japan
Yoichi Konishi
Department of Pathology, Academy Hospital Jette, Free University of Brussels, Brussels, Belgium
Günter Klöppel
Department of Pathology, Dartmouth Medical School, Hanover, USA
Daniel S. Longnecker
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: Atlas of Exocrine Pancreatic Tumors
Book Subtitle: Morphology, Biology, and Diagnosis with an International Guide for Tumor Classification
Editors: Parviz M. Pour, Yoichi Konishi, Günter Klöppel, Daniel S. Longnecker
