Learning objectives
The course aims to provide a basic knowledge of the morphological changes induced by diseases in organs, cells and molecules as a foundation for understanding etiology, pathogenesis, prognosis and therapy.
The program includes the systematic analysis of the pathological basis of diseases of the central and peripheral nervous system, skeletal muscle, head & neck region, female genital tract and pregnancy, breast, skin, bone and soft tissues, male uro-genital system, kidney, heart, lung, pleura, biliary tract and endocrine organs.
The student will learn the role of Surgical Pathology in modern clinical medicine and the diagnostic techniques and applications currently in use, including cytology, immunohistochemistry, molecular biology applied to human tissues and cells, and electron microscopy.
The role of the pathologist in the diagnosis, prognosis and cure of diseases will be specifically emphasized in the Modules of Diagnostic Histopathology and Multidisciplinary Surgical Pathology (see).
The student will be asked to integrate the notions provided by the course with previous knowledge in anatomy, physiology and general pathology to the understanding of:
• nomenclature and classification criteria of diseases;
• causes, molecular and physio-pathological bases, and pathological features of relevant disorders;
• the basic histopathology of common diseseas;
• the elementary differential diagnostic work up of common diseases
• basic notions concerning clinical presentation, natural history, complications and therapy of relevant anatomo-clinical entities;.
• differential diagnosis of main organ and tissue pathologies and choice of appropriate diagnostic strategies.
At the end of the course, the student will be able to integrate the knowledge provided by disciplines to:
• give appropriate indications to perform a pathological analysis;
• fill out correctly a pathology request form and interpret a pathology report;
• communicate appropriately with professionals of other disciplines;
• approach correctly the diagnostic strategy of the main tissue and organ pathologies;
• identify and interpret clinical courses and complications of the different disorders;
• understand the clinical implications of a pathological diagnosis.