We are looking forward to your contribution, and planto give out 2-4 issues a year. For 1987 this issue will do,but next year there will be at least two. In the next meetingin Ancona you will have a change to tell us what you thinkabout the newsletter.
The Committee for Diagnostic Quantitative Pathology(CDQP) has now functioned since 1985 within the European Society of Pathology (ESP). These years have witnessed steady progress in our work, and new results havebeen achieved, which have given us valuable applicationsfor practical work. Something has been lacking, however.We have not had a vehicle with which we could contactour colleagues active in quantitative pathology. After theESP meeting in Prag, September 1987, it started to beobvious that such a vehicle should be created. There are somany items on the agenda, and discussions cover suchwide areas of interest that background information isnecessary for the average member of our committee andquantitative pathology community. Such a newslettercould also be used to distribute information about meetings on quantitative pathu~(,6)', such as the "Fifth Symposium on Morphometry in Morphological Diagnosis" inAncona, Italy, September 14-17, 1988 (for details see special section in this issue). The solution is in your hands:"Quantitative Pathology Newsletter", which will distribute information from pathologists to pathologists in matters linked with quantitative pathology. Research reportswill not be published, however. Those who want to send amessage to other members, please, contact the editors:
Yrjo ColIan, M.D.Department of
PathologyUniversity of KuopioP.O.B.670211 Kuopio 21Finland
Yrjo Collan
W. F. Whimster, M.D.Department of Morbid AnatomyKing's College Hospital School
of Medicine and DentistryDenmark HillLondon SE 5 8 RXUnited Kingdom
Bill Whimster
The nature of the Committee for DiagnosticQuantitative Pathology at European Society of Pathology
The Committee, officially recognized by the ESP in1985, was founded to support the development of quantitative pathology in diagnostic practice in histopathology.The first announcement about the Committee (under thename Committee for Diagnostic Morphometry) publishedin Pathology Research and Practice (179: 197-198) in1984 was signed by]. P. A. Baak, Y. Collan, H. David,and M. Mihatsch. The official starting point was in Athens1985. The first president of the Committee is Dr. Baak,and Dr. Whimster and Dr. Collan are acting as joint secretaries. The Committee is respresented within ESP by Dr.Baak, who is a member of the Scientific Council of ESP.
This is an unusual Committee: all interested pathologists are encouraged to join, and they are accepted members as soon as they are put on the mailing list. The membership of ESP is, of course, recommended for all membersof the Committee. Members from outside Europe areaccepted as far as those applying for membership areactive in the area of quantitative pathology. To become amember just write to Dr. ColIan (address in the editorial).You will be considered a member as soon as your namehas been added to the mailing list. The Committee meetsyearly: every two years in connection with the ESP meeting, and in intervening years at the Symposia on Morphometry in Morphological Diagnosis (QuantitativePathology). The next meeting will be held in Ancona, Italy1988 (see the special section on this meeting).
Minutes of the Prag Meeting
Minutes of the meeting of the Committee for DiagnosticQuantitative Pathology held at the Palace of Culture inPrag in association with the European Congress of Pathology, on Tuesday 8th September 1987 at 12.00.
Present
Dr. R. Alberti (Italy)Dr. Baak (Netherlands) (Chairman)
Dr. C. A. Beltrami (Italy)Dr. G. Brox (FRG)Dr. Colian (Finland) (Joint Secretary)Dr. H. G. Davidson (Spain)Dr. ]aroslava Duskova (Czechoslovakia)Dr. ]. Feit (Czechoslovakia)Dr. S. Galbavy (Czechoslovakia)Dr. K. Helander (Sweden)Dr. O. A. N. Husain (England)Dr. I. ]ulis (Czechoslovakia)Dr. I. ]ulisova (Czechoslovakia)Dr. T. Kizov (Bulgaria)Dr. V.-M. Kosma (Finland)Dr. K. D. Kunze (D.D.R.)Dr. P. Luzi (Italy)Dr. G. M. Mariuzzi (Italy)Dr. R. Montironi (Italy)Dr. L. Paljarvi (Finland)Dr. A. Pataki (Switzerland)Dr. C. Povysil (Czechoslovakia)Dr. N.]. Pressman (USA)Dr. M. Scarpelli (Italy)Dr. ]. Sygut (Poland)Dr. G. Zajicek (Israel)Dr. K. W. Zielinski (Poland)
Minutes
1. Apologies for absence: Dr. Tosi from Siena, Dr. Kayserfrom Heidelberg, Dr. Oberholzer from Basel, and Dr.Whimster from London through various channels hadinformed the committee of their absence.
2. Election of officers: Dr. Baadk took the chair and Dr.Collan was approved to act as secretary.
3. The agenda was adopted as presented.4. The minutes of the last meeting which was held on
10th September, 1986, were approved. There was adiscussion on the possible new journal - mentioned inthe minutes, which so far had not emerged.
5. The Fifth International Symposium on Morphometryin Morphological Diagnosis will be arranged inAncona, Italy, Sept.14-16, 1988. The congress isbeing organized under the supervision of Prof. Gianmaria Mariuzzi (Ancona), and Prof. Piero Tosi (Siena).Dr. Rodolfo Montironi will act as the general secretary. Dr. Montironi gave a description about the present status of arrangements. The second circular with adetailed outline of the programme has already beenprinted. It also included a call for papers. A specialabstract book will be prepared, and the organizers arealso planning to publish the proceedings. At themoment the final decision about the publisher has notbeen made. The meeting accepted Dr. Montironi's presentation with enthusiasm. Special interest was paid tothe symbol of the Fifth Symposium. The symbol characterized the strength of quantitative methodology andthe aggressive way with which the younger generationespecially is using it to solve the problems of his-
topathology. There was a lively discussion after thepresensation. The point was raised whether DiagnosticQuantitative Pathology should be mentioned in thename of the meeting. Dr. Mariuzzi told the meetingthat in Ancona both Morphometry in MorphologicalDiagnosis and Diagnostic Quantitative Pathology willbe mentioned in programmes and other official material.
6. The Sixth International Symposium on Morphometryin Morphological Diagnosis (or Quantitative Pathology) will be arranged in 1990. The meeting had twoproposals. Dr. Oberholzer from Basel and Dr. Kayserfrom Heidelberg had expressed their interest in arranging the meeting. Dr. Baak mentioned that Innsbruckhad also been considered as an alternative. It wasdecided that the situation should be reported to thecommittee members on the mailing list, furtherinterested organizers recorded and the final decisionmade in the meeting in Ancona 1988. Quite obivouslythis means that the executives of the committee have todo some homework, make up their minds and presentthat meeting with proposals.
7. The relationship of "quantitative pathologists" withESP was discussed. It was recorded that the administration of the ESP had forgotten to place a special symposium on quantitative pathology in the programme inthe present meeting in Prag. Later the minds had beenchanged (possibly owing to action taken by the chairman and the secretary), and with the help of theorganizers the symposium could be arranged. The symposium was very popular, participation was about 100attending, which made the hall available a little toosmall. In the light of the present positive situation themeeting accepted the proposal that the Committee continues its activity within ESP.
8. Other points were discussed. Contacts betweenpathologists through computers were suggested. Rapidsurvey showed that such contacts are possible betweenmany countries, and many quantitative pathologists.Such channels could be one way to exchange information. It was decided that a list should be created ofcomputer programmes suitable for quantitative measurements in histopathology. It was reported that Dr.Whimster had approached Dr. Seifert, the president ofthe ESP, and suggested that the name of the committeebe changed to the Committee of Diagnostic Quantitative Pathology which is now used in practice, and thesuggestion had been accepted by the President for submission to the Council. The administrative organs ofESP were meeting during the congress in Prag, andmost probably the committee will be informed aboutdecisions made in the matter. It was also suggested thata Quantitative Pathology Diploma should be reconsidered. Such diploma was thought to be a useful innovation and it was decided that the executive shouldstudy this question in detail.Y. CollanSecretary
The next meeting: "The Fifth International Symposiumon Morphometry in Morphological Diagnosis", Ancona,Italy, 1988
As is obvious from the minutes above, the arrangementsof the Ancona meeting are rapidly advancing. Theorganizers welcome participants from among pathologistsinterested in the areas of diagnostic quantitative pathology: morphometry, stereology, DNA-cyto- and histometry, image cytometry, quantitative histochemistry,grading of lesions, decision analysis in diagnosis, expertsytems, prediction of prognosis of neoplasms, imageanalysis, flow cytometry, technical solutions, quantitativecytopathology, etc.
Further information (circulars, calls for papers) is avail-able from:
Dr. R. MontironiDepartment of PathologyUniversity of AnconaGeneral Regional Hospital60020 TorretteAncona, Italy
Quantitative Pathology Newsletter . 367
Proposals for the 1990 meeting
The Prag meeting discussed the site of 1990 meeting.The proposals were recorded: Basel and Heidelberg. Discussions held seem to support Basel. However, other proposals are also considered. The proposals should be madebefore the end of January 1988. Send your proposal to thechairman of the Committee:
J. P. A. Baak, M.D.Pathologisch InstituutAcademisch ZiekenhuisDe Boelelaan 1117Postbus 70571007 NB AmsterdamThe Netherlands
