Updated Pan-Tumor Guidelines Issued for Assessing Pathologic Response

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 18, 2026 (HealthDay News) — In guidelines published in the February issue of the Annals of Oncology, updated recommendations are presented for a pan-tumor framework for evaluating residual viable tumor, necrosis, and regression after presurgical treatment.

Julie S. Deutsch, M.D., from the Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, and colleagues developed updated consensus guidelines for pathologic response assessment among patients with high-risk surgically resectable disease.

The authors recommend a revised and standardized approach to tissue submission, including total submission of tumors ≤3 cm in size for histologic analysis. For larger tumors, additional guidance is provided. When assessing pathologic response for clinical care and for clinical studies in which the pathologic response is associated with survival outcomes, all slides generated from the specimen, including “normal” lymph nodes, should be reviewed. The authors recommend quantifying pathologic response based on assessments of percentage of residual viable tumor, necrosis, and regression. Descriptions of histologic features to be scored and a standardized reporting template are provided. To allow validation of the pan-tumor approach, recommendations regarding additional key datapoints are made.

“Reproducibility is essential,” Deutsch said in a statement. “Different pathologists must arrive at similar scores if these metrics are going to guide patient care and clinical trials.”

Several authors disclosed ties to the biopharmaceutical industry.

Abstract/Full Text