Serous Effusions

Serous (peritoneal, pleural and pericardial) effusions are a frequently encountered clinical finding in everyday medical practice and one of the most common specimen types submitted for cytological evaluation. The correct diagnosis of effusions is critical for patient management, as well as for prognostication and yet many clinicians find diagnosis and treatment of cancer cells in effusions very challenging. Featuring multiple microscopic illustrations of all diagnostic entities and ancillary techniques (immunhistochemistry and molecular methods), this book provides a comprehensive, authoritative guide to all aspects of serous effusions, including etiology, morphology and ancillary diagnostic methods, as well as data related to therapeutic approaches and prognostication. Section One covers diagnosis for benign and malignant effusions including the etiological reasons for the accumulation of effusions that provides the reader with the full spectrum of differential diagnoses at this anatomic site. Section Two discusses biology, therapy and prognosis highlighting clinical approaches that may be of value to patients and the movement towards personalized medicine and targeted therapy. Written by experts in the field internationally, Serous Effusions will provide an indispensible guide to all aspects of current practice for cytopathologists, cytotechnicians, pathologists, clinicians and researchers in training and practice. * A comprehensive list of the etiological reasons for the accumulation of effusions that will provide the reader with the full spectrum of differential diagnoses at this anatomic site * Multiple microscopic illustrations of all diagnostic entities to help the reader in diagnosing effusion specimens * Broad discussion and multiple illustrations of ancillary techniques (immunhistochemistry and molecular methods) to help the reader in diagnosing effusion specimens * Discussion related to molecular therapeutic targets in effusions to enable the reader to get acquainted with the clinical approaches that may be of value to patients with this form of metastatic cancer * Discussion related to prognostic aspects of cancer biology in effusions to give the reader an understanding of the biology of cancer cells in effusions and may aid in stratification of patients based on molecular prognostic markers, if read by clinicians Davidson, Ben; Firat, Pinar; Michael, Claire W. (Eds.)