TY - JOUR
T1 - The 2020 WHO Classification of Tumors of Soft Tissue
T2 - Selected Changes and New Entities
AU - Choi, Joon Hyuk
AU - Ro, Jae Y.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
Copyright © 2020 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.
PY - 2021/1
Y1 - 2021/1
N2 - Soft tissue tumors are a relatively rare and diagnostically challenging group of neoplasms that can have varying lines of differentiation. Accurate diagnosis is important for appropriate treatment and prognostication. In the 8 years since the publication of the 4th Edition of World Health Organization (WHO) classification of soft tissue tumors, significant advances have been made in our understanding of soft tissue tumor molecular biology and diagnostic criteria. The 5th Edition of the 2020 WHO classification of tumors of soft tissue and bone incorporated these changes. Classification of tumors, in general, but particularly in soft tissue tumors, is increasingly based on the molecular characteristics of tumor types. Understanding tumor molecular genetics improves diagnostic accuracy for tumors that have been difficult to classify on the basis of morphology alone, or that have overlapping morphologic features. In many large hospitals in the United States and Europe, molecular tests on soft tissue tumors are a routine part of diagnosis. Therefore, surgical pathologists should be familiar with newly emerging molecular genetic techniques in clinical settings. In the near future, molecular tests, particularly in soft tissue tumor diagnosis, will become as routine during diagnosis as immunohistochemistry is currently. This new edition provides an updated classification scheme and essential diagnostic criteria for soft tissue tumors. Newly recognized entities and subtypes of existing tumor types, several reclassified tumors, and newly defined molecular and genetic data have been incorporated. Herein, we summarize the updates in the WHO 5th Edition, focusing on major changes in each category of soft tissue tumor, and the newly described tumor entities and subtypes.
AB - Soft tissue tumors are a relatively rare and diagnostically challenging group of neoplasms that can have varying lines of differentiation. Accurate diagnosis is important for appropriate treatment and prognostication. In the 8 years since the publication of the 4th Edition of World Health Organization (WHO) classification of soft tissue tumors, significant advances have been made in our understanding of soft tissue tumor molecular biology and diagnostic criteria. The 5th Edition of the 2020 WHO classification of tumors of soft tissue and bone incorporated these changes. Classification of tumors, in general, but particularly in soft tissue tumors, is increasingly based on the molecular characteristics of tumor types. Understanding tumor molecular genetics improves diagnostic accuracy for tumors that have been difficult to classify on the basis of morphology alone, or that have overlapping morphologic features. In many large hospitals in the United States and Europe, molecular tests on soft tissue tumors are a routine part of diagnosis. Therefore, surgical pathologists should be familiar with newly emerging molecular genetic techniques in clinical settings. In the near future, molecular tests, particularly in soft tissue tumor diagnosis, will become as routine during diagnosis as immunohistochemistry is currently. This new edition provides an updated classification scheme and essential diagnostic criteria for soft tissue tumors. Newly recognized entities and subtypes of existing tumor types, several reclassified tumors, and newly defined molecular and genetic data have been incorporated. Herein, we summarize the updates in the WHO 5th Edition, focusing on major changes in each category of soft tissue tumor, and the newly described tumor entities and subtypes.
KW - WHO classification
KW - genetics
KW - sarcoma
KW - soft tissue
KW - tumor
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85097586471&partnerID=8YFLogxK
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U2 - 10.1097/PAP.0000000000000284
DO - 10.1097/PAP.0000000000000284
M3 - Review article
C2 - 32960834
AN - SCOPUS:85097586471
SN - 1072-4109
VL - 28
SP - 44
EP - 58
JO - Advances in Anatomic Pathology
JF - Advances in Anatomic Pathology
IS - 1
ER -