,healthy the World Health Organization

The World Health Organization (WHO) has embarked on a new project entitled World Health Organization Classification of Tumors. This is a continuation of the International Histological Classification of Tumors, which produced two series of WHO “Blue Books” between 1967 and the present. The new WHO series continues to standardize the classification of tumors and, in addition to providing histopathologic criteria, will include information on molecular genetics, which are increasingly important in the typing of human cancers and as predictive factors for response to therapy and for clinical outcome. International Classification of Diseases for Oncology (ICD-O) codes, diagnostic criteria, epidemiology, age and gender distribution, location, and clinical signs and symptoms are described in a strictly disease-oriented manner.

The first volume, entitled Pathology and Genetics of Tumours of the Nervous System,1 has recently been published and is available from IARC Press, Lyon, France (contact by It is the outcome of a collaborative effort by 106 neuropathologists and geneticists from 21 countries who met at the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) in July 1999 under the chairmanship of Dr. Paul Kleihues (Lyon) and Dr. Webster K. Cavenee (San Diego, CA). It was produced in collaboration with the International Society of Neuropathology (ISN), the International Academy of Pathology (IAP), and the Preuss Foundation for Brain Tumor Research.

The second volume is in preparation and covers the pathology and genetics of tumors of the digestive system. It is the outcome of a collaborative effort by an international working group of gastrointestinal pathologists, clinicians, and geneticists who met at IARC in November 1999 under the chairmanship of Dr. Stanley Hamilton (Houston, TX) and Dr. Lauri Aaltonen (Helsinki, Finland).

Rapid publication is an important and mandatory feature of the project because of the pace of progress, particularly in the field of tumor genetics. The aim of this project is to cover all tumor sites within the next 5 years. As series editors, we are committed to making the new WHO “Blue Books” the standard reference for tumor classification worldwide and a reliable basis for communication among pathologists, clinicians, and the basic cancer research community.