Training activity information
Details
With supervision from a reporting consultant, write a draft histological report for a resection, for the following pathologies:
- Malignant melanoma
- Colorectal cancer
- Gynaecological cancer
- Breast cancer
- Urological cancer
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
- RCPath cancer datasets
- Local SOPs and/or proforma
- NICE guidance
- Molecular testing strategies and national guidance
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
- What are the essential components of a comprehensive report for malignant resections?
- What are your objectives in terms of accurately and concisely documenting the macroscopic findings and block selection rationale?
- Discuss the specific requirements and format for histological reports in your department with the reporting consultant who will be supervising you.
- Review the macroscopic findings and block selection from the actual cases you will be reporting on.
- What are the key macroscopic features and block sampling strategies relevant to each of the specified cancer types?
- Consider the specific insights you hope to gain regarding how macroscopic descriptions translate into diagnostically relevant information in the histological report.
- Think about your current understanding of the information required by clinicians from a histopathology report for these cancer types.
- What specific skills in summarising macroscopic findings, justifying block selection, and using appropriate terminology in a histological report do you aim to develop?
- Discuss the specific cases you will be reporting with the consultant beforehand to understand their expectations and any specific aspects they want you to focus on.
- Review examples of well-written histological reports for similar cases if available in your department.
- Reflect on your current confidence in writing histological reports and identify any areas where you feel less secure, such as specific terminology or the level of detail required.
In action
- How are you structuring your report, ensuring all relevant macroscopic findings are accurately described and all sampled blocks are clearly identified?
- Why are you choosing to highlight certain features based on the macroscopic examination?
- What decisions are you making about the level of detail to include in your macroscopic description?
- What key information do you think will be most important for the microscopic assessment and clinical management?
- How intuitive is the process of correlating your macroscopic observations with the key elements required in a pathology report for this specific tumour type?
- What aspects, such as describing margins or lymph nodes, are requiring more careful consideration?
- How effectively are you translating your gross examination findings into a concise and informative written description?
- Are you encountering any challenges in using appropriate terminology or ensuring clarity?
- What immediate learning points are arising as you synthesise your observations into a report?
- How does this process reinforce your understanding of the important macroscopic features for different malignancies?
- Are there alternative ways you could phrase certain descriptions to improve clarity or conciseness?
- Would it be helpful to review examples of similar reports at this stage?
- Are you ensuring that your draft report accurately reflects your macroscopic findings and provides sufficient information for the consultant to provide a comprehensive microscopic diagnosis?
On action
- What were the key macroscopic features that needed to be documented in the histological report for the specific case you worked on?
- How did the consultant guide you in describing the macroscopic findings?
- What specific elements did the consultant emphasise in the report, such as tumour size, location, margins, and any other relevant observations?
- How to effectively translate your macroscopic observations into clear and concise descriptive language for a histological report. What are the essential components of a comprehensive macroscopic description for different types of malignant resections?
- How to correlate macroscopic findings with the clinical history and specimen type in your report. What were the consultant’s key considerations when reviewing your draft report and providing feedback?
- How does a well-written macroscopic description contribute to the overall diagnostic process?
- What specific aspects of macroscopic reporting do you need to focus on improving?
- How will you ensure your future reports are comprehensive and provide all the necessary information for microscopic assessment?
- Will you seek further examples of high-quality macroscopic reports for different tumour types?
Beyond action
- Have you revisited the draft histological reports you wrote and the feedback you received?
- How does the process of writing these draft reports compare with your experiences of macroscopic description during dissection? What connections have you made between the two?
- Review your reflections on writing these draft reports. What did you learn about the key information required by clinicians and how to present it effectively?
- Have you shared examples of your draft reports with colleagues for feedback? How did this influence your understanding of report writing?
- How has the experience of drafting these reports impacted your approach to macroscopic description during subsequent dissections? Are you now more focused on capturing diagnostically and prognostically relevant features?
- Consider how the skills developed in this DTA will support you in communicating effectively at MDT meetings.
- What transferable skills, such as clear and concise written communication, did you develop?
- What clear actions will you take to continue developing your histological report writing skills?
Relevant learning outcomes
| # | Outcome |
|---|---|
| # 4 |
Outcome
Summarise the macroscopic features and block sampling for accurate microscopic assessment malignant specimens. |
| # 5 |
Outcome
Practice safely in accordance with quality management and accreditation standards. |