The Symbiotic Relationship between a Clinical Hematologist and Hematopathologist in the Management of Children with Cancer

Abstract

Hematological malignancies, namely, leukemias and lymphomas comprise the major part of clinical practice for most centers that manage children with cancer.[1] Survival of children with common pediatric malignancies such as acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), Hodgkin's lymphoma, and Burkitt's lymphoma has improved by leaps and bounds over the last few decades. This can be largely attributed to superior diagnostic techniques and risk-stratified approaches that tailor the therapy for different patient subgroups. The pathology laboratory, by performing indispensable tests ranging from cytology and histomorphology to immunohistochemistry (IHC), flow cytometry, and molecular methods, has veritably paved the way for this success story.