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Editorial: Best Practice for the Routine Pathology Evaluation of the Immune SystemStratoxon LLC The publication in this issue entitled "Best Practice for the Routine Pathology Evaluation of the Immune System" by Haley P. et al. provides an important guideline for standardizing the toxicologic pathologists contributions to the evaluation of immunotoxicity. For many years, there has been a need for consistency in the evaluation of tissues as a first step in assessing immunotoxicity. This publication meets that need by outlining "Best Practices" that have been established through the experience of a number of toxicologic pathologists that have served on the STP Immunotoxicity Working Group. This publication takes into careful consideration the pivotal elements necessary for the pathological evaluation of the immune system, specifically, macroscopic, microscopic and organ weight evaluation and puts these into the proper balance and perspective for identifying potential adverse xenobiotic-induced effects on the immune system. The clearly stated need for a thorough, integrative analysis of each of these elements is central to the approach described by this Working Group. The Working Group has clearly made an important contribution by preparing a thoughtful and well-written document that can and will serve as a general guideline to toxicologic pathologists in the immediate and distant future. The publication hits the appropriate balance by providing an adequate number of specifics and examples without being overly prescriptive. The publication also appropriately ties the histopathology approach to assessing immunotoxicity back to good diagnostic toxicological pathology practices as followed by the best toxicologic pathology groups throughout the world. Through wide spread adoption of the practices described by this publication, anatomic pathologists will achieve a greater degree of uniformity in characterizing immune system lesions and thereby greatly assist the efforts of regulatory agencies in understanding the extent and significance of such alterations. In summary, this publication provides a service to diagnostic toxicologic pathologists particularly those who work in a regulated environment. There is no doubt that this document will be widely cited in study reports and will certainly also be cited in good quality research publications on the topic of immunotoxicology assessment.
Toxicologic Pathology, Vol. 33, No. 3,
408 (2005)
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