USCAP 2026 Diagnostic Pathology Update

USCAP Diagnostic Pathology Update 2026

Pragmatic Approaches to Daily Practice

The USCAP Diagnostic Pathology Update 2026 is a comprehensive multisubspecialty pathology education program focused on practical diagnostic challenges, evolving tumor classifications, biomarkers, immunohistochemistry, molecular pathology, genomic advances, and difficult case interpretation.

Originally presented as the 2026 Diagnostic Pathology Update – Pragmatic Approaches to Daily Practice, the USCAP program brings together leading academic pathologists to review contemporary developments that directly affect everyday diagnostic pathology.

The original live course was held:

• Dates: July 12–17, 2026
• Location: Prague, Czech Republic
• Venue: Prague Marriott Hotel
• Provider: United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology – USCAP
• Course Directors: Steven D. Billings, MD and Marisa R. Nucci, MD
• Original Live Activity: Up to 29 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™

The program covers major areas including:

• Breast Pathology
• Genitourinary Pathology
• Gynecologic Pathology
• Thoracic and Pulmonary Pathology
• Gastrointestinal Pathology
• Liver and Hepatobiliary Pathology
• Bone Pathology
• Soft Tissue Pathology
• Dermatopathology
• Head and Neck Pathology
• Thyroid Pathology
• Salivary Gland Pathology
• Molecular Pathology
• Genomic Pathology
• Tumor Classification
• Biomarkers
• Immunohistochemistry
• Diagnostic Pitfalls

The central educational approach is:

Recognize the Pattern → Build the Differential → Apply Morphology and Ancillary Testing → Integrate Molecular Information → Reach a Practical Diagnosis

Course Details

• Course: 2026 Diagnostic Pathology Update
• Theme: Pragmatic Approaches to Daily Practice
• Provider: USCAP
• Original Dates: July 12–17, 2026
• Original Location: Prague, Czech Republic
• Venue: Prague Marriott Hotel
• Course Directors: Steven D. Billings, MD and Marisa R. Nucci, MD
• Primary Specialty: Pathology
• Main Field: Diagnostic / Surgical Pathology
• Original Live CME: Up to 29 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™
• MedicalAmboss Listing Release Date: August 20, 2026

Official USCAP Faculty

The 2026 Diagnostic Pathology Update faculty includes:

• Steven D. Billings, MD – Cleveland Clinic
• Marisa R. Nucci, MD – Brigham and Women’s Hospital / Harvard Medical School
• Kimberly H. Allison, MD – Stanford University School of Medicine
• Meera R. Hameed, MD – Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
• Jesse McKenney, MD – Cleveland Clinic
• Cesar A. Moran, MD – The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
• Lisa Rooper, MD – Johns Hopkins Hospital
• Maria Westerhoff, MD – University of Michigan

Learning Objectives

The program is designed to help pathologists:

• Update diagnostic criteria across multiple organ systems.
• Review evolving tumor classifications.
• Recognize important diagnostic mimics and pitfalls.
• Apply morphology more effectively in difficult cases.
• Integrate immunohistochemistry into diagnostic workflows.
• Understand emerging molecular and genomic findings.
• Evaluate biomarkers relevant to contemporary pathology.
• Improve differential diagnosis of uncommon and overlapping lesions.
• Apply updated diagnostic information in daily surgical pathology practice.

BREAST PATHOLOGY

Breast pathology is a major component of the program, led by Kimberly H. Allison, MD.

Biomarker Driven Breast Cancer Decisions: What a Pathologist Needs to Know

Reviews the expanding role of biomarkers in breast cancer diagnosis and clinical decision-making.

Important concepts include:

• Biomarker interpretation
• Pathologist contribution to therapeutic decision-making
• Modern breast cancer classification
• Integration of pathology and oncology

WHO Wants to Know the Latest? Tumours of the Breast 6th Edition Updates

Reviews current developments related to the 6th Edition WHO Classification of Breast Tumours.

Key themes include:

• Classification changes
• Emerging entities
• Updated terminology
• Diagnostic implications
• Molecular integration

Papillary Proliferations and Pitfalls: Test Yourself! (ARS)

An interactive case-based review of:

• Papillary breast lesions
• Morphologic overlap
• Diagnostic traps
• Differential diagnosis

Intraductal Proliferations of the Breast: How’s Your Diagnostic Agreement? (ARS)

Focuses on challenging intraductal proliferations and areas of diagnostic disagreement.

Breast Cancer Risk Lesions and Precursors: Current Concepts and Conundrums

Reviews:

• Breast cancer precursor lesions
• Risk lesions
• Contemporary terminology
• Difficult classification problems

GENITOURINARY PATHOLOGY

Presented primarily by Jesse McKenney, MD.

Prostatic Adenocarcinoma Grading: 2026 Update

A contemporary review of:

• Prostate cancer grading
• Morphologic interpretation
• Grading challenges
• Current diagnostic practice

Low-Risk Oncocytic Renal Neoplasia (ARS)

Reviews renal oncocytic lesions with emphasis on:

• Classification
• Morphologic overlap
• Low-risk entities
• Differential diagnosis

Flat Urothelial Lesions with Atypia: Difficult for Everyone!

Addresses one of the most challenging areas in bladder pathology:

• Reactive atypia
• Dysplasia
• Flat urothelial lesions
• Diagnostic uncertainty

Germ Cell Tumors of the Testis: Classification with Emphasis on Morphology

Reviews:

• Testicular germ cell tumors
• Morphologic classification
• Differential diagnosis
• Practical diagnostic criteria

Renal Neoplasms with Papillary Architecture (ARS)

Provides a structured approach to renal tumors showing papillary morphology.

GYNECOLOGIC PATHOLOGY

Presented by Marisa R. Nucci, MD.

A Practical Approach to Uterine Smooth Muscle Tumors

Reviews diagnostic separation of:

• Leiomyoma
• Atypical smooth muscle tumors
• STUMP-related diagnostic considerations
• Leiomyosarcoma

with emphasis on practical morphology.

Histotyping of Endometrial Carcinoma: Is Morphology and Immunohistochemistry Sufficient? (ARS)

Examines the interaction among:

• Morphology
• Immunohistochemistry
• Tumor histotype
• Molecular information

in contemporary endometrial carcinoma diagnosis.

A Sneak Peek into What’s New in the Upcoming 6th Edition of the WHO Classification of Female Genital Tract Tumours

Reviews forthcoming classification developments involving female genital tract tumors.

This session is especially relevant to pathologists preparing for changes in:

• Tumor terminology
• Entity definition
• Diagnostic criteria
• Molecular classification

THORACIC & PULMONARY PATHOLOGY

Presented by Cesar A. Moran, MD.

Pleural Mesothelioma – Is It Always Straightforward?

Reviews challenging aspects of mesothelioma diagnosis and differential diagnosis.

Mediastinal Mass – The Challenges in Interpretation (ARS)

A case-based approach to difficult mediastinal lesions.

Thymoma – The Yesterday of Today

Reviews contemporary concepts in thymic epithelial pathology.

From Biopsy to Resection: The Surprises (ARS)

Examines diagnostic discrepancies and unexpected findings between:

Small Biopsy → Definitive Resection

Challenging Uncommon Primary Tumors of the Lung

Covers rare primary pulmonary tumors and important diagnostic mimics.

BONE & SOFT TISSUE PATHOLOGY

Presented by Meera R. Hameed, MD, with additional vascular and dermatopathology material from Steven D. Billings.

Skeleton Key: Introduction to Bone Tumors

Provides a practical diagnostic framework for evaluating bone tumors.

Old Bones, New Tricks: Bone Tumor Pathology in Molecular Era

Explores the growing role of:

• Molecular findings
• Genetic alterations
• Contemporary classification

in bone tumor diagnosis.

Giant Cell Rich Lesions of Bone and Soft Tissue (ARS)

Reviews lesions with overlapping giant-cell-rich morphology.

Soft Tissue Tumors as Primaries in Bone: Pearls and Pitfalls

Addresses soft-tissue-type tumors arising primarily within bone and their diagnostic traps.

Epithelioid Soft Tissue Tumors: Diagnostic Challenges (ARS)

Reviews challenging epithelioid neoplasms and differential diagnosis.

DERMATOPATHOLOGY

Melanocytomas, Spitz Tumors and More

Steven D. Billings, MD

Reviews diagnostically difficult melanocytic lesions including:

• Melanocytomas
• Spitz tumors
• Related melanocytic entities

30 Minutes of Diagnostically Challenging Adnexal Tumors (ARS)

Steven D. Billings, MD

A rapid case-based review of difficult cutaneous adnexal neoplasms.

Vexing Vascular Tumors

Steven D. Billings, MD

Reviews challenging vascular neoplasms and diagnostic mimics.

GASTROINTESTINAL PATHOLOGY

Presented by Maria Westerhoff, MD.

Of Plagues and Potions: Updates in GI Tract Drug Injury and Infectious Diseases

Reviews:

• Drug-related GI injury
• Infectious gastrointestinal pathology
• Diagnostic mimics
• Pattern recognition

Labyrinth in Prague: A Maze of Systemic Disease Cases Involving the Tubular GI Tract (ARS)

Demonstrates how systemic disease can manifest within gastrointestinal biopsies.

The session reinforces:

GI Histology + Clinical Context + Systemic Disease Correlation

LIVER & HEPATOBILIARY PATHOLOGY

A Pragmatic Approach to Diagnosing Medical Liver Biopsies

Maria Westerhoff, MD

Provides a structured diagnostic approach to medical liver biopsies.

Distinguishing HCC From Other Tumors

Reviews the differential diagnosis of:

Hepatocellular Carcinoma vs. Mimics and Other Tumors

with emphasis on practical diagnostic reasoning.

Select Biliary and Gallbladder Neoplastic Cases (ARS)

Reviews selected difficult neoplasms involving:

• Biliary tract
• Gallbladder
• Intraductal lesions

HEAD & NECK PATHOLOGY

Presented primarily by Lisa Rooper, MD.

Challenges in Head and Neck Squamous Lesions: Beyond Bread and Butter

Reviews diagnostically difficult squamous lesions and mimics.

Updates in Salivary Gland Pathology

Focuses on modern salivary gland classification and diagnostic approaches.

Critical Issues in Thyroid Pathology: Diagnoses That Can’t Be Missed (ARS)

Highlights important thyroid diagnoses with major clinical implications.

Keeping Your Nose Clean in Sinonasal Pathology

Reviews challenging sinonasal lesions and current diagnostic approaches.

A Practical Approach to Head and Neck Neuroendocrine Neoplasms (ARS)

Provides a structured framework for neuroendocrine neoplasms involving the head and neck.

MORPHOLOGY + IMMUNOHISTOCHEMISTRY + MOLECULAR PATHOLOGY

A major strength of the program is the integration of traditional histopathology with newer diagnostic tools.

Modern diagnostic pathology increasingly involves:

Morphology

Immunohistochemistry

Molecular / Genomic Information

Clinical Context

The course demonstrates how these components can be combined rather than interpreted in isolation.

WHO CLASSIFICATION UPDATES

The curriculum contains explicit 2026 classification updates, including:

• Breast Tumours – WHO 6th Edition updates
• Upcoming WHO 6th Edition Female Genital Tract Tumours
• Contemporary renal tumor classification
• Testicular germ cell tumor classification
• Bone and soft tissue molecular classification concepts

INTERACTIVE ARS SESSIONS

The official program contains multiple Audience Response System – ARS sessions.

These include interactive diagnostic exercises in areas such as:

• Breast pathology
• Renal pathology
• Mediastinal pathology
• Bone and soft tissue
• GI pathology
• Thyroid pathology
• Head and neck pathology

ARS sessions emphasize active diagnostic reasoning rather than passive lecture review.

DIAGNOSTIC PITFALLS

A recurring theme throughout the course is the recognition of entities that can be confused because of:

• Similar morphology
• Limited biopsy material
• Overlapping immunophenotypes
• Emerging classification terminology
• Unusual presentation
• Molecular heterogeneity

The program therefore emphasizes:

Avoiding Diagnostic Error

as strongly as learning newly classified entities.

Who Should Take This Course?

The strongest target audience includes:

• Practicing Pathologists
• Academic Pathologists
• Community Pathologists
• Surgical Pathologists
• Anatomic Pathologists
• Pathology Residents
• Pathology Fellows
• Pathologists-in-Training

It is especially useful for pathologists who work across multiple organ systems and want an updated overview of contemporary diagnostic pathology.

Why This Course Is Useful

The course brings together multiple subspecialties within one cohesive program.

Diagnostic Updates

• New criteria
• New terminology
• Current controversies

Classification

• WHO updates
• Emerging entities
• Histologic classification

Morphology

• Challenging patterns
• Rare entities
• Differential diagnosis

Ancillary Testing

• Immunohistochemistry
• Biomarkers

Molecular Pathology

• Molecular findings
• Genomic developments

Case-Based Learning

• ARS sessions
• Diagnostic pitfalls
• Practical examples

The overall educational pathway is:

Recognize → Differentiate → Classify → Confirm → Report

Original USCAP CME Information

The original 2026 Diagnostic Pathology Update was a live USCAP activity held July 12–17, 2026.

USCAP designated the original live activity for a maximum of:

29 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™

USCAP also offers eligible ABPath Lifelong Learning credit in accordance with its accreditation arrangements.

These credits relate to eligible participation in the original USCAP activity.

An independently distributed MedicalAmboss recording package should not automatically be represented as providing:

• 29 CME Credits
• USCAP CME Certificate
• ABPath Credit

unless official USCAP participation and credit eligibility are included.

Product Summary

• Product: USCAP Diagnostic Pathology Update 2026
• Official Name: 2026 Diagnostic Pathology Update
• Theme: Pragmatic Approaches to Daily Practice
• Provider: United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology – USCAP
• Course Directors: Steven D. Billings, MD & Marisa R. Nucci, MD
• Original Dates: July 12–17, 2026
• Original Location: Prague, Czech Republic
• Original Venue: Prague Marriott Hotel
• Original Live CME: Up to 29 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™
• MedicalAmboss Listing Release Date: August 20, 2026
• Primary Specialty: Pathology
• Core Focus: Multisubspecialty Diagnostic & Surgical Pathology Updates

Course overview

USCAP Diagnostic Pathology Update 2026 – Pragmatic Approaches to Daily Practice is a comprehensive multisubspecialty pathology program covering breast, genitourinary, gynecologic, thoracic, gastrointestinal, liver, hepatobiliary, bone, soft tissue, dermatopathology, thyroid, salivary gland, and head & neck pathology.

Led by Steven D. Billings, MD and Marisa R. Nucci, MD, with expert USCAP faculty, the program reviews WHO classification updates, tumor grading and histotyping, morphology, immunohistochemistry, biomarkers, molecular and genomic pathology, challenging diagnostic cases, and common interpretive pitfalls.