Trophoblastic Tumor

The Gynecologic Pathology Division is responsible for the diagnosis of all obstetric and gynecologic surgical pathology specimens at UT Southwestern Medical Center (William P. Clements Jr. University Hospital), affiliated teaching hospitals (Parkland Hospital), and associated clinics. 

We work closely with faculty clinicians in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, one of the largest departments of its kind in the country. Our group has extensive expertise in the full spectrum of obstetric and gynecologic diseases including complications of pregnancy, conditions that result in pelvic pain or infertility, gestational trophoblastic disease, and malignancies of the reproductive tract including vulvar, cervical, endometrial, and tubo-ovarian cancer. Each year, our group of dedicated pathologists reviews more than 16,000 specimens, providing expert diagnosis to guide clinical management. Complex or unusual cases are shared twice a week at a conference attended by available team members.  Selected cases are reviewed at a once-per-week multidisciplinary conference attended by members of Gynecologic Oncology, Radiation Oncology, Radiology, and our group of Gynecologic Pathologists.  Gynecologic Pathology subspecialty pathologists provide expert second opinions for many of our patients.  We also offer a Gynecologic Pathology consultation service for challenging cases, reviewing slides prepared elsewhere.

In addition to clinical service, teaching and scientific discovery are important missions of our division. We are one of a small number of similar divisions in the country that offers advanced Gynecologic Pathology training with a specialized one-year Gynecologic Pathology Fellowship for M.D. pathologists who have already completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology. Our group is also well-known for basic and translational research. Topics of interest are wide-ranging and include the development of new biomarkers for enhanced diagnosis, and studies of the cell-of-origin of ovarian cancers and endometriosis. Two of our surgical pathologists run independent basic research laboratories devoted to gynecologic cancers ( Castrillon Laboratory and Zheng Laboratory) in addition to their clinical service work.