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The introduction of helical computerized tomography (CT) lung cancer screening trials has presented new challenges to pathologists due to the small size of the specimens that are being identified by this new technology and the lack of the standard protocol for handling these small specimens.

In a series of meetings sponsored in part by the American Cancer Society, and the U.S. National Cancer Institute (NCI), a pathology panel composed of experts from Europe and the US has developed recommendations for processing of specimens for pathological diagnosis.

The recommendations of the panel and a standardized protocol for incorporating data elements into pathology reporting systems are summarized in this report.

In compiling this report and the attached form the panel has been cognizant of recommendations of Pathology organizations that have previously prepared lung specimen handling protocols including the committees responsible for the development of the Common Data Elements (CDE) initiative of the NCI http://ncicb.nci.nih.gov/core/caDSR.

The attached documents are a result of the deliberations of the IASLC panel on specimen processing from CT trials.