Training activity information
Details
Perform morphological assessment of cellularity and neoplastic cell content for:
- Colorectal
- Melanoma
Type
Developmental training activity (DTA)
Evidence requirements
Evidence the activity has been undertaken by the trainee.
Reflection on the activity at one or more time points after the event including learning from the activity and/or areas of the trainees practice for development.
An action plan to implement learning and/or to address skills or knowledge gaps identified.
Considerations
- Identify cellularity, necrosis and tumour burden
- Tumour annotation
- Histopathological sample preparation, including manual and automated macro dissection
- Digital pathology
Reflective practice guidance
The guidance below is provided to support reflection at different time points, providing you with questions to aid you to reflect for this training activity. They are provided for guidance and should not be considered as a mandatory checklist. Trainees should not be expected to provide answers to each of the guidance questions listed.
Before action
- Consider your current understanding of cellularity and neoplastic cell content assessment in colorectal and melanoma samples.
- What specific histological features are you expecting to identify? What staining techniques are typically used, and why?
- What challenges do you anticipate in accurately assessing cellularity and neoplastic cell content?
- Review relevant protocols and guidelines for morphological assessment.
- Consider any potential difficulties you might encounter and how you might approach them.
In action
- How are you approaching the assessment of cellularity and neoplastic cell content? Why are you using these particular methods or visual cues?
- What decisions are you making as you examine the samples? For example, how do you distinguish between neoplastic and non-neoplastic cells? How are you estimating cellularity?
- Are you finding it easier to assess one cancer type over the other? Which specific features are more challenging to evaluate?
- How effective are your actions in achieving the goal of accurately assessing cellularity and neoplastic cell content? Are you encountering any difficulties in obtaining a clear view or making a confident assessment?
- Are there issues with sample quality, staining, or identifying specific cell types?
- Are you noticing any patterns or subtle features that you hadn’t anticipated?
- Are there alternative approaches you could be considering if your initial methods are not proving effective? For example, would focusing on different areas of the slide or adjusting the microscope settings be helpful?
On action
- Summarise the key aspects of the morphological assessments you performed for colorectal and melanoma samples. What were the main features you observed? Were there any notable differences between the sample types?
- Did you become more proficient at distinguishing neoplastic from non-neoplastic cells? Did you enhance your ability to estimate cellularity? Did you encounter any samples that were particularly difficult to assess? Were there any instances where further information confirmed or contradicted your initial assessment? Did you adjust your approach based on your immediate observations or challenges encountered?
- Do you feel you need to focus on specific morphological features or assessment techniques? How will you approach future morphological assessments based on this experience? To develop your practice, do you need to review specific histology slides, consult reference materials, or discuss challenging cases with colleagues? Do you require access to specific training materials or expert guidance?
Beyond action
- How has this activity supported you to develop skills for other training activities, for example, in understanding sample quality requirements for downstream molecular analyses?
- How have you developed your skills in morphological assessment further? How has experience since influenced your wider practice in the laboratory?
- How will you continue to develop your expertise in morphological assessment as you progress in your career?
Relevant learning outcomes
| # | Outcome |
|---|---|
| # 1 |
Outcome
Apply the appropriate sample acceptance criteria in terms of cellularity, necrosis and tumour burden in the context of downstream testing for solid cancers. |