Short power list
The short power list is a short differential diagnosis for the most common specimens. This list is written for junior residents and should serve as a starting point if one has no clue about the differential diagnosis for the site. It assumes the specimen comes from an adult. There is an expanded long power list.
Bone
General
Benign:
Malignant:
- Metastatic carcinoma.
- Plasma cell neoplasm.
- Osteosarcoma.
- Ewing sarcoma.
Femoral head
Benign:
Uncommon - benign (fracture):
- Trauma.
- Osteoporosis.
Uncommon - benign pediatric:
- Slipped femoral capital epiphysis (SFCE).
- Legg–Calvé–Perthes syndrome.
Uncommon - malignant (fracture):
Breast pathology
Benign:
Malignant:
- DCIS.
- LCIS.
- Ductal carcinoma.
- Lobular carcinoma.
- Tubular carcinoma.
Uncommon benign/malignant:
Cardiovascular pathology
General
- Thrombosis (embolism).
- Vasculitis.
Uncommon:
- Amyloid deposition.
- Hyperplastic arteriolosclerosis.
Aorta
Uncommmon:
Aortic valve
Uncommon:
Mitral valve
Uncommon:
Heart
Uncommon - benign:
- Lipoma.
- Rhabdomyoma.
Uncommon - malignant:
Dermatopathology
Benign - non-melanocytic:
Benign melanocytic lesions:
Malignant:
- BCC.
- SCC.
- Malignant melanoma.
- DFSP.
Endocrine pathology
Thyroid gland
Benign:
Malignant:
Uncommon - malignant:
- Papillary thyroid carcinoma columnar cell variant.
- Papillary thyroid carcinoma tall cell variant.
- Medullary thyroid carcinoma.
- Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma.
Adrenal gland
Benign:
Malignant:
Gastrointestinal pathology
Gastrointestinal polyp
Benign:
Pre-malignant:
Uncommon - pre-malignant:
Esophagus
Benign:
Benign - uncommon:
Malignant:
- Squamous cell carcinoma.
- Adenocarcinoma.
Stomach
Benign:
Pre-malignant:
Malignant:
- Adenocarcinoma, intestinal type.
- Signet-ring cell carcinoma.
- GIST.
- MALT lymphoma.
Duodenum
Benign:
- Normal.
- Celiac disease.
Pre-malignant:
Malignant:
- Adenocarcinoma.
Uncommon benign:
- Giardiasis.
- Whipple disease.
- MAI infection.
Colon/rectum
Benign:
- Normal.
- Colitis. e.g. IBD.
- Hyperplastic polyp.
- Tubular adenoma.
- Tubulovillous adenoma.
- Villous adenoma.
- Sessile serrated adenoma.
Benign - uncommon infectious:
Benign - uncommon:
Tumour:
Malignant:
Appendix
Benign:
- Appendicitis.
- Periappendicitis.
- Crohn's disease.
- Normal.
Neoplasm:
- Neuroendocrine tumour.
- Low-grade appendiceal mucinous neoplasm (LAMN).
Malignant:
- Mucinous adenocarcinoma.
Liver
Benign:
Malignant:
- Metastatic adenocarcinoma.
- Hepatocellular carcinoma.
Uncommon benign:
- Autoimmune hepatitis.
- Primary sclerosing cholangitis, esp. in the context of UC.
- Primary biliary cirrhosis.
- Wilson's disease.
- Hereditary hemochromatosis.
- Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency.
Uncommon malignant:
Gallbladder
Benign:
Uncommon - risk for dysplasia:
Uncommon - malignant:
Genitourinary pathology
Tumour kidney
Benign:
Malignant:
- Clear cell renal cell carcinoma.
- Papillary renal cell carcinoma.
- Chromophobe renal cell carcinoma.
- Urothelial carcinoma.
Uncommon - benign:
Medical kidney
Prostate gland
Benign:
- Normal.
- Chronic inflammation.
- Acute inflammation.
- Benign prostatic hyperplasia (prostatectomy diagnosis only).
Malignant:
Uncommon - malignant:
- Ductal adenocarcinoma.
- Urothelial carcinoma.
- Foamy gland carcinoma - mimics benign prostate.
Urinary bladder
Benign:
Pre-malignant/malignant:
- Urothelial dysplasia.
- Low grade papillary urothelial carcinoma.
- High grade papillary urothelial carcinoma.
- Flat urothelial carcinoma.
Uncommon - benign:
Gynecologic pathology
Uterus
Benign:
- Fibroids.
- Adenomyosis.
- Atrophy.
- Uterine prolapse.
- Proliferative phase endometrium.
- Secretory phase endometrium.
Pre-malignant:
Malignant:
- Endometrial carcinoma.
- Endometrioid.
- Mucinous.
- Serous.
Uncommon - benign:
- Decidua (change of pregnancy).
Uncommon - malignant:
- Clear cell carcinoma.
- Carcinosarcoma.
Cervix - cytology
Benign:
- Normal.
- Candida.
- Endometrial cells.
- Atrophy.
Pre-malignant/malignant:
- LSIL.
- HSIL.
- Squamous cell carcinoma.
- Adenocarcinoma.
Uncommon - benign:
- HSV changes.
- Trichomonas.
Ovary
Benign:
- Serous cystadenoma.
- Mucinous cystadenoma.
- Mature teratoma.
- Endometriosis.
Malignant:
Uncommon - malignant:
Fallopian tube
Benign:
- Paratubal cyst.
- Tubo-ovarian abscess.
- Salpingitis.
- Ectopic pregnancy.
- Adenomatoid tumour.
Pre-malignant:
Malignant:
Uncommon - benign:
Head and neck
General
Benign:
Malignant:
Uncommon - malignant:
- Paraganglioma (carotid body tumour).
Salivary gland
Benign:
Malignant:
Uncommon benign:
Uncommon malignant:
- Acinic cell carcinoma.
- Polymorphous low grade adenocarcinoma.
- Carcinoma ex pleomorphic adenoma.
- Salivary duct carcinoma.
- Hyalinizing clear cell carcinoma.
Lymph node
Benign:
- Normal/resting.
- Follicular hyperplasia.
Malignant:
- Metastasis, esp. carcinoma.
- Chronic lymphocytic leukemia.
- Follicular lymphoma.
- Diffuse large B cell lymphoma.
- Nodular sclerosis Hodgkin lymphoma.
- Mixed cellularity Hodgkin lymphoma.
- MALT lymphoma.
Pulmonary pathology
Benign:
- Normal.
Malignant:
Uncommon - benign:
- Tuberculosis.
- Sarcoidosis.
- Usual interstitial pneumonia.
- Solitary fibrous tumour - esp. pleural.
Uncommon - malignant:
Soft tissue
Benign:
Malignant:
Spleen
Benign:
- Trauma.
- Normal.
- Enlargement due to cirrhosis.
Malignant:
- Diffuse large B cell lymphoma.
- Splenic marginal zone lymphoma.
- Follicular lymphoma.
- Hairy cell leukemia.
Placenta
- Normal.
- Chorioamnionitis.
- Meconium.
- Placentomegaly.
- Placental infarction.
Less common: