Background: The role of the pathologist reporting a case of post-chemotherapy carcinoma breast involves not just looking for residual carcinoma, but also classifying the patient into a response category, based on histological findings, and thus, analyzing the efficacy of treatment. Therapy related changes are well described in carcinoma breast. This study aims at classifying post-chemotherapy specimens based on response to chemotherapy according to the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP) B-18 system and also identifying important associations between morphology, lymph node metastases and hormone receptor status with response. Methods:The study classified thirty-one cases of carcinoma breast who had undergone neoadjuvant chemotherapy in our institution into three categories based on the NSABP B18 system, and analyzed the association of changes in morphology, hormone receptor status and metastases to lymph nodes with presence or absence of response.Results: The commonest response category was partial response (pPR) (17 cases), followed by pathological non-response (pNR) (11 cases) and pathological complete response (pCR) (3 cases). Statistically significant associations were found between presence of residual mass on gross assessment and presence of lymph node metastases with a poor response to treatment. Histopathological features and change in hormone receptor status did not show a significant association with response. Conclusion:The majority of patients showed a partial response to therapy. Presence of a residual mass and presence of metastases to lymph nodes signified poor response.

Background: Being one of the most common disorder faced by our society, the correct diagnosis of anemia is important for better clinical outcome. Aim & Objectives: The present study was designed to find out the association between cell counter generated hematological parameters and peripheral smear findings in the diagnosis of anemia. Material and Methods: This study was carried out in a tertiary care hospital in South India. 110 patients with low Hb level with reference to age and sex were selected for the comparison of PS findings with that of cell counter parameters. Results: Among 110 cases 56 (50.9%) were females and 54 (49.1%) were males and the common age group affected is elderly >60 years (33 out of 110 cases, 30%) followed by patients in 4 th and 5 th decades (32 out of 110, 29%).Milder forms of anemia was seen to be common in females, while severe anemia was seen more in males. The most common morphological type of anemia was normocytic normochromic anemia (57%) followed by microcytic hypochromic anemia (44%). Among the 57% of normocytic normochromic anemia cases, 41(72%) cases were males and among the 44% of microcytic hypochromic anemia, 36 (82%) cases were females. There were few discrepancies between the diagnosis anemias on peripheral smear and cell counter generated parameters. 41 cases of Microcytic hypochromic anemia had high RDW which is normally expected but 29 cases of Normocytic normochromic anemia showed raised RDW. However the mean RDW value among the cases of microcytic hypochromic anemia and normocytic normochromic anemia with raised RDW was 17.7% and 14.1% respectively. Conclusion: Despite all the advances in laboratory sciences, peripheral smear examination remains an important diagnostic tool in diagnosis of anemia.