Ophthalmic Pathology

Faculty

Dr. Paula Blanco, Clinical Associate Professor

Overview

During the past few years one of the major activities I have been involved with has been the rewriting of the 7th edition of the Ophthalmic Sites section of the AJCC Cancer Staging Manual that was published in 2010. I was responsible, along with Dr. Jack Rootman, for the chapter on the lacrimal gland, and we contributed to a new chapter on ocular adnexal lymphomas. This work resulted in several publications listed below and presentations at several meetings including the American Academy of Ophthalmology in Atlanta, Georgia and the Asia-ARVO meeting in Hyderabad, India. This work also corresponded with the publication of a large review of lacrimal gland neoplasms published by our group with three other institutions.

For many years I have performed the eye pathology for a large autopsy study of cerebral malaria taking place in Malawi. This culminated in the publication of the first pathological description of the eye findings in severe malaria.

I have been elected a permanent member of the Eastern Ophthalmic Pathology Society in the United States and attend their yearly meetings in addition to those of the Canadian Ophthalmic Pathology Society. I continue to participate in the teaching of UBC ophthalmology and pathology residents and this year have been invited to participate in teaching ophthalmic pathology to all the new ophthalmology residents in Canada at the TORIC course in Toronto in June.

Within the Department of Pathology at UBC I am involved in the Quality Assurance Committee for Anatomic Pathology at VGH.

Publications

Rootman J, White VA. Changes in the 7th edition of the AJCC TNM classification and recommendations for pathologic analysis of lacrimal gland tumors. Arch Pathol Lab Med. 2009;133:1268-71.

Coupland SE, White VA, Rootman J, Damato B, Finger PT. A TNM-based clinical staging system of ocular adnexal lymphomas. Arch Pathol Lab Med. 2009;133:1262-7.

Weis E, Rootman J, Joly TJ, Berean KW, Al-Katan HM, Pasternak S, Bonavolontà G, Strianese D, Saeed P, Feldman KA, Vangveeravong S, Lapointe JS, White VA. Epithelial lacrimal gland tumors: pathologic classification and current understanding. Arch Ophthalmol. 2009;127:1016-28.

Wiwatwongwana D, Berean KW, Dolman PJ, Rootman J, White VA. Unusual carcinomas of the lacrimal gland: epithelial-myoepithelial carcinoma and myoepithelial carcinoma. Arch Ophthalmol. 2009;127:1054-6.

White VA, Lewallen S, Beare NA, Molyneux ME, Taylor TE. Retinal pathology of pediatric cerebral malaria in Malawi. PLoS One. 2009;4(1):e4317.