Louis P. Dehner, MD

Research Interests

My scholarly pursuit principally has focused upon neoplasia in childhood, in particular those tumors that have been morphologically characterized as “small blue cell tumors.” At one level, I am interested in those variable features of the neoplasms which may influence the clinical outcome. In addition to the clinicopathologic aspects, we have been involved in the refinement of the phenotypic characterization of these tumors through the application of immunohistochemical and molecular genetic techniques.

Since we are the recipient of extremely unusual tumors of childhood, the files constitute a rich source of archival material to delineate the clinical and pathologic features of these neoplasms. Over the years, we have had the opportunity to define such neoplasms as the embryonal sarcoma of the liver, fetal rhabdomyoma, so-called Askin’s tumors and, most recently, the pleuropulmonary blastoma.

I am especially eager to interact with those pathology residents who are considering a career in academic surgical pathology. In this division, we have a core of individuals who can assist the aspiring academic surgical pathologist to develop an idea or hypothesis and answer questions with a variety of techniques ranging from histopathologic analysis to flow cytometry and tissue marker studies.