Includes References and Index

Pathology of the female genital tract is complex, and encompasses a wide spectrum of neoplastic and non-neoplastic diseases of the gonads, reproductive ducts, secondary müllerian system,
and external genitalia. Clinical practitioners in this discipline must therefore familiarize themselves with a broad spectrum of pathology, including skin-like diseases of the vulva, a myriad
of peritoneal diseases, as well as conventional diseases of other female genital tract organs.
This field progresses in a vibrant and dynamic academic environment in which diagnostic
concepts continually evolve as our understanding of various disease processes improves over
time. The contemporary gynecologic pathologist is in a unique position to recognize and define
morphologic correlates to newly defined genomic profiles and individual gene mutations,
assess whether they are likely to have diagnostic or prognostic significance for a given patient
and/or her family, and broadly participate in the push towards increasingly personalized cancer
care. These exciting trends notwithstanding, it remains true that definitive pathologic classification of gynecologic disease is still primarily based on the traditional pillars of surgical
pathology, including gross pathology, morphologic assessment buttressed by immunophenotypic analysis where needed, and careful clinicopathologic correlation.
This book is envisioned as a “bridge” that acknowledges both of the aforementioned realities. It is designed to provide a broad coverage of diagnostic gynecologic and obstetric pathology, inclusive of both neoplastic and non-neoplastic diseases. The book is neither a dense and
comprehensive treatise on every disease process nor is it a dry listing of relevant “facts” about
each entity. Rather, it is best conceptualized as a large scale aggregation of the most up to date
information in gynecologic pathology, all presented in a concise and narrative manner that is
designed to be easily accessible to the general practitioner, specialist and student alike. An
overt effort has been made to discuss each topic in a way that is maximally relevant to the
diagnostic surgical pathologist, such that by reading any section should substantially increase
the reader’s confidence that the most germane clinicopathologic information on that entity has
been reviewed before a diagnostic decision is made.
The material is organized into 36 chapters, representing the full spectrum of diagnostic
gynecologic pathology. In addition to chapters on traditional topics in gynecologic pathology,
there are individual chapters on site-specific carcinogenesis, gynecologic cytology, intraoperative consultation, endometriosis and development/maldevelopment of the female reproductive system, among others. Additionally, in a departure from most current texts, there are
stand-alone chapters to provide intensive coverage of some traditionally under-covered topics,
including melanocytic lesions of the female genital tract, non-neoplastic diseases of the endometrium, and vulvovaginal soft tissue lesions. Entities with a significant diagnostic component
are presented, where feasible, divided into the following subsections: Clinical features, Gross
findings, Microscopic findings, Differential diagnosis, Biomarkers, and Genetic features. As
expected, not all entities or chapters lend themselves to this specific format, but most chapters
are broadly structured based on these general themes. Microscopic findings are lavishly illustrated, and numerous tables help summarize pertinent points for easy reference. The overall
objective of each chapter is to integrate traditional pathologic features, clinical features, where
applicable, and current paradigms in disease classification into a format that can be readily
applied in routine practice. These chapters are authored by over 50 physicians, most of whom are experienced subspecialty practitioners of clinical gynecologic pathology from around the
world, and without whose expertise, dedication, and diligence this work would not have been
possible. It is the sincere hope of the editors that all of those who are interested in gynecologic
pathology—diagnostic pathologists, students, residents and investigators—will find this book
tremendously useful.
The understanding of gynecologic disease involves pathologists and researchers from
across oceans and all over the world, and to that end an exciting feature of this book is that it
is written with a direct linkage to the second edition of the book “Gynecologic and Obstetric
Pathology”. The latter book is in Chinese, and is published by Science Press, Beijing, China.
The current text is published in both English and Chinese, representing a collaborative effort
by both publishers: Springer and Science Press. Although the titles and the number of chapters
are identical in the two books, the authors of the chapters are different. Additionally, while the
chapter outlines and some of the contents overlap, the two books do not represent a direct
translation from one to the other. Rather, they are best considered complementary “sister”
books. This results from Dr. Wenxin Zheng serving as the first editor-in-chief for both books.
Considering this special and close relationship, the co-editors for the Chinese book, Drs.
Danhua Shen and Donghui Guo, are listed as co-editors of the English version of this book,
while Drs. Fadare and Quick are also listed as co-editors on the second edition of the Chinese
book.