Pancreatic and biliary tract pathology, within general/systemic pathology, organizes pancreatic disease along a temporal axis of acute versus chronic inflammation (pancreatitis), each with distinct etiologies, morphologic subtypes, and downstream consequences, alongside a distinct category of pancreatic neoplasia characterized by a defining molecular oncogenic mechanism, and a separate biliary tract disease category encompassing conditions such as gallstones. The theoretical framework emphasizes classifying disease by acuity/chronicity and by underlying molecular or structural mechanism as the basis for correlating pathology with clinical presentation.
Pancreatic and biliary tract pathology, within general/systemic pathology, organizes pancreatic disease along a temporal axis of acute versus chronic inflammation (pancreatitis), each with distinct e…