Looking beyond workforce parity: addressing gender inequity in pathology
Abstract While women pathologists have made up over one-third of pathologists in the Australian workforce for over 15 years and at least 50% since 2019, they are under-represented in senior leadership roles, scientific publications, grant recipients, editorial boards, key presentations, and professional awards. This is not unique to pathology and is seen in the broader medical and academic community. Barriers to gender equity and equality in pathology, medicine and academia include gender stereotypes, gender-based discrimination, structural and organisational barriers as well as broader social and cultural barriers. A diverse leadership reflective of the whole professional body and the broader [...]
Looking beyond workforce parity: addressing gender inequity in pathology.
Abstract While women pathologists have made up over one-third of pathologists in the Australian workforce for over 15 years and at least 50% since 2019, they are under-represented in senior leadership roles, scientific publications, grant recipients, editorial boards, key presentations, and professional awards. This is not unique to pathology and is seen in the broader medical and academic community. Barriers to gender equity and equality in pathology, medicine and academia include gender stereotypes, gender-based discrimination, structural and organisational barriers as well as broader social and cultural barriers. A diverse leadership reflective of the whole professional body and the broader [...]
Towards modulating the gut microbiota to enhance the efficacy of immune-checkpoint inhibitors
Abstract The gut microbiota modulates immune processes both locally and systemically. This includes whether and how the immune system reacts to emerging tumours, whether antitumour immune responses are reactivated during treatment with immune-checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), and whether unintended destructive immune pathologies accompany such treatment. Advances over the past decade have established that the gut microbiota is a promising target and that modulation of the microbiota might overcome resistance to ICIs and/or improve the safety of treatment. However, the specific mechanisms through which the microbiota modulates antitumour immunity remain unclear. Understanding the biology underpinning microbial associations with clinical outcomes in [...]
Cutaneous melanoma: a contemporary overview.
Abstract Cutaneous melanoma is a malignancy arising from melanocytes of the skin. Incidence rates are rising, particularly in White populations. Cutaneous melanoma is typically driven by exposure to ultraviolet radiation from natural sunlight and indoor tanning, although there are several subtypes that are not related to ultraviolet radiation exposure. Primary melanomas are often darkly pigmented, but can be amelanotic, with diagnosis based on a combination of clinical and histopathological findings. Primary melanoma is treated with wide excision, with margins determined by tumour thickness. Further treatment depends on the disease stage (following histopathological examination and, where appropriate, sentinel lymph node [...]
The association of dermatologist demographic density with melanoma survival in New South Wales, Australia.
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Inter-rater concordance of basal cell carcinoma subtypes: influences on reporting format and opportunities for further classification modifications.
Abstract Diagnosis of basal cell carcinoma (BCC) higher risk subtypes influences management strategies because of their propensity to recur locally. Subtyping is prone to inter-observer variability, and subtyping definitions are inconsistently applied. This study sought to compare the interobserver reproducibility of individual BCC subtypes using the 4th edition World Health Organization (WHO) Classification of Skin Tumours (CoST) definitions, with classification into lower and higher risk histological subtype groups. Ninety-one BCC cases were rated by seven pathologists, noting the presence of BCC subtype(s), and providing a higher or lower risk subtype grouping per case. Raters were provided with definitions as [...]
Melanoma In Situ—Getting the Diagnosis and Prognosis Right.
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Definitive treatment with PD-1 blockade and radiation therapy of unresected primary desmoplastic melanoma of the nose.
Abstract Two patients with primary desmoplastic melanoma of the nose were treated with definitive anti-PD-1 checkpoint inhibitor (anti-PD1) and radiation therapy. Both patients were technically resectable with partial rhinectomy but both declined for cosmetic reasons. The melanoma multidisciplinary team recommended that the patients receive PD1 blockade. The initial response to PD-1 blockade was temporary in the first case and partial in the second one. With the addition of high-dose radiotherapy, complete responses were obtained in both patients, with recurrence-free and good functional and cosmetic outcomes at a six-year and 22-month follow-up. Despite surgery being the gold standard, both cases [...]
Neoadjuvant immunotherapy for melanoma is now ready for clinical practice.
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