Academic Programme Outline*

The Westin Hotel, Cape Town, South Africa
20th to 22nd October, 2025

*Subject to minor changes. 

Monday, 20th October

07h30 – 08h30  

Registration

 Venue – Ballroom  

08h30 – 08h40

Opening & welcome

08h40 – 10h00

ERRORS MADE, LESSONS LEARNED – Moderator: Philip LeBoit (U.S.A.)

  • Topic to be confirmed – Philip LeBoit (U.S.A.)
  • Topic to be confirmed – Ronald Rapini  (U.S.A.)
  • Topic to be confirmed – Bruce Smoller (U.S.A.)
  • Topic to be confirmed – David Elder (U.S.A.)

10h00 – 10h30  

Coffee Break

 Venue – Ballroom  

10h30 – 11h50  

PEARLS & GEMS FROM THE EXPERTS – MORE CLUES, CLUES, CLUES – Moderator: Anjela Galan (U.S.A.)

  • Neutrophils: friend or foe, from genetics to autoimmune – Marcella Saeb Lima (Mexico)
  • Pearls and gems in the epidermis – Dieter Metze (Germany)
  • Uncovering the Crown: Hidden Gems in Alopecia Diagnostics – Catherine Stefanato, MD (UK)
  • Cutaneous Lesions That Preferentially Affect the Eyelid and Periorbital Region – Sylvia Pasternak, MD
    (Canada))
  • Histological Clues to Dermatitis Artefacta – Arti Bakshi, MD (UK)
  • Topic to be confirmed – Antonio Subtil, MD (Canada)
  • Topic to be confirmed – Mark Jacobson, MD (US)

0811h50 – 13h00  

CUTANEOUS SOFT TISSUE TUMOURS – AN UPDATE – Moderator: Rajiv Patel (U.S.A.)

  • Mesenchymal tumours with melanocytic differentiation – Konstantinos Linos (U.S.A.)
  • A practical immunohistochemical approach to superficial mesenchymal tumors – Ahmed Alomari (U.S.A.)
  • Acral mesenchymal lesions: Classic and emerging entities – Carina Dehner (U.S.A.)
  • Epithelioid vascular tumours – Eleni Ieremia (U.K.)

13h00 – 14h00  

Lunch

 Venue – Ballroom  

13h00 – 14h00   

I.S.D.P. Executive Committee Meeting

14h00 – 15h00  

WHAT IS NEW IN INFECTIOUS DISEASES? – Moderator: Martin Sangüeza (Bolivia)

  • Intriguing infectious dermatoses – Sujay Kandpur (India)
  • What’s new in fungal infections: a brief update – Alvaro Laga (U.S.A.)
  • Filariasis in South-east Asia – Panitta Sitthinamsuwan (Thailand)
  • Infectious diseases cases from South America – Martin Sangüeza (Bolivia)

1415h00 – 16h00  

UPDATE ON ADVERSE CUTANEOUS DRUG REACTIONS – Moderator: Phyu Aung  (U.S.A.)

  • Histologic Patterns of Mogamulizumab-Associated Rash (MAR) – Christina Mitteldorf (Germany)
  • Overview of the Most Recent Advances in Immunotherapy – Ana Mercedes Ciurea (U.S.A.)
  • Severe Cutaneous Adverse Reactions (SCARs) and Their Mimics: Diagnostic Challenges in Clinical Practice – Penvadee Pattanaprichakul

16h00 – 16h30    

Coffee Break

 Venue – Ballroom  

16h30 – 18h30   

SLIDE SEMINAR – Part 1 – Moderators: Joyce Lee (Singapore), Aleodor (Doru) Andea (U.S.A.)

18h45 – 20h00   

Welcome Reception

Tuesday, 21st October

07h30 – 08h30  

Registration

  Venue – Ballroom 

08h30 – 10h00

DERMATOPATHOLOGY AT THE CUTTING EDGE – Moderator: Rossitza Lazova (U.S.A.), Maxwell Fung (U.S.A.)

  • New classification of alopecia – Curtis Thompson (U.S.A.)
  • Profile of inflammatory cytokines in chronic skin diseases: The cutting edge of Dermatopathology through immunohistochemistry and new tools – Franco Rongioletti (Italy)  
  • Histiocytosis – Eray Zhou (China)
  • When immunosuppression meets infection: Diagnostic pitfalls in dermatopathology – Rute Lellis (Brazil)
  • The blues and reds of granulomas – Uma Nahar (India)
  • Digital pathology – Laszlo Igali (U.K.)

10h00 – 10h30  

Coffee Break

  Venue – Ballroom 

10h30 – 11h50  

PAEDIATRIC DERMATOPATHOLOGY – Moderators: Tammie Ferringer (U.S.A.), Sylvie Fraitag (France)

  • Longitudinal melanonychia – Isabelle Moulonguet (France)
  • Desmosomal acantholysis – Dieter Metze (Germany)
  • ALK histiocytosis – Dominique Berrebi (France)
  • Paediatric NTRK-rearranged spindle cell neoplasm: what to expect of this “new” tumour in the skin?– Philippe Drabent (France)
  • Pediatric vascular tumors with lymphatic differentiation: A spectrum of entities with distinct clinical and pathological features– Sylvie Fraitag (France)

11h50 – 12h00

UPDATE ON XLV SYMPOSIUM OF THE I.S.D.P. – LONDON, 2026 – Catherine Stefanato (U.K.)

12h00 – 13h00  

ORAL ABSTRACTS – Moderators: Christine Ahn (U.S.A.), Adam Botha (South Africa)

13h00 – 14h00  

Lunch

  Venue – Ballroom 

14h00 – 15h00  

SKIN ADNEXAL NEOPLASMS – WHAT’S NEW? – Moderator: Thomas Brenn (U.S.A.)

  • Lessons from near misses in the diagnosis of sweat gland tumors – Scott Bresler (U.S.A.)
  • New developments in skin adnexal tumours – Cynthia Heffron (U.S.A.)
  • New IHC and molecular tools for the diagnosis of skin adnexal tumours – Rosalynn Nazarian (U.S.A.)
  • The spectrum of sebaceous neoplasms – Ingrid Ferreira (Belgium)

15h00 – 16h00  

ACKERMAN LECTURE – Moderator: Wayne Grayson (South Africa)

  • “Thinking Up A Hurricane” – Martinique (Nikki) Stilwell

16h00 – 16h30    

Coffee Break

  Venue – Ballroom 

16h30 – 18h30   

SLIDE SEMINAR – Part 2 – Moderators: Joyce Lee (Singapore), Aleodor (Doru) Andea (U.S.A.)

18h30 – 19h00  

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE I.S.D.P. – Chair: Aleodor (Doru) Andea (U.S.A.)

20h00 – 22h00  

Gala Dinner

Wednesday, 22nd October

07h30 – 08h30  

Registration

    Venue – Ballroom  

08h30 – 10h00

CUTANEOUS HAEMATOLYMPHOID NEOPLASMS – AN UPDATE – Moderators: Carlos Torres Cabala (U.S.A.), Jakki Junkins-Hopkins (U.S.A.)

  • Non-histopathologic tools helpful in diagnosing cutaneous lymphoma – Maarten Vermeer (The Netherlands)
  • EBV-related lymphoid proliferations – Martin Sangueza (Bolivia)
  • A practical approach to the diagnosis of cutaneous lymphoproliferations – Werner Kempf (Switzerland), Christina Mitteldorf (Germany)
  • Topic to be confirmed – Jacqueline (Jakki) Junkins-Hopkins (U.S.A.)

10h00 – 10h30  

Coffee Break

    Venue – Ballroom  

10h30 – 13h00  

UPDATE IN MELANOCYTIC LESIONS – Moderators: Victor Prieto (U.S.A.), Johann Schneider (South Africa)

  • WHO classification overview – Aleodor (Doru) Andea (U.S.A.)
  • Spitz lesions – Alessio Giubellino (U.S.A.)
  • Neoadjuvant therapy – Carlos Torres Cabala (U.S.A.)
  • Concept of Melanocytoma – Gerrado Cazzato (Italy)
  • Nail and acral lesions – Ursula Sass (Belgium)
  • Undifferentiated and transdifferentiated melanomas – Victor Prieto (U.S.A.)

13h00 – 14h00  

Lunch

    Venue – Ballroom  

14h00 – 16h00  

EMERGING STARS IN DERMATOPATHOLOGY – Moderators: Omar Sangüeza (U.S.A.)

  • Dermatopathologic emergencies  – Heath Blankenship (U.S.A.)
  • Topic to be confirmed  – Katrice Karanfilian (U.S.A.)
  • Topic to be confirmed  – Cecilia Lezcano (U.S.A.)
  • The Many Faces of Acquired Interferon-Gamma Antibody Syndrome: What Dermatopathologists Need To Know  – Joel Lim (Singapore)
  • Challenging cases requiring clinicopathologic correlation – Bethany Rohr (U.S.A.)
  • Practical approaches to frozen sections in dermatopathology  – Christine Ahn (U.S.A.)
  • Revisiting squamous cell carcinoma: Historical, contemporary, and future landscape – Raúl Pisano (Chile)

16h00 – 16h30    

Coffee Break

    Venue – Ballroom  

16h30 – 17h30   

MULTICONTINENTAL MATCH – Moderators: Omar Sangüeza (U.S.A.), Christine Ahn (U.S.A.)

17h30 – 17h40  

Close of Meeting