About the Author:

Antonio Cardesa obtained his medical degree from the University of Zaragoza, Spain, in 1963 and his PhD from the University Complutense of Madrid in 1967. He subsequently trained in pathology and was appointed Assistant Professor of Pathology at the Eppley Institute for Cancer Research, University of Nebraska, USA in 1971. In 1976 he became Professor and Associate Chairman of the Department of Pathology at the University Complutense of Madrid. Dr. Cardesa soon went on to become Professor and Chairman of the Department of Pathology at the University of Valladolid, Spain, and from 1981 to 2005 he held a similar position at the University of Barcelona. In 2005 he became Chair of Pathology at the University of Barcelona Medical School, where he is now Emeritus Professor. Dr. Cardesa served as Chairman of the European Society of Pathology (ESP) Working Group on Head and Neck Pathology from 1993 to 1999, as President of the Spanish Society of Pathology from 1997 to 1999, and as President of the European Society of Pathology from 2003 to 2005. He is the author of 320 publications, including original articles, reviews, and book chapters.

Alessandro Franchi gained his Medical Degree Summa cum Laude from the University of Florence Medical School, Italy, in 1987 and subsequently entered residency training programmes in Neuropathology and Anatomic Pathology at University of Verona Medical School and University of Florence Medical School, respectively. From 1993 to 2001, Dr. Franchi was Assistant Pathologist at Azienda Ospedaliera Careggi, Florence, Italy. In 1996 he also became Visiting Pathologist at the Department of Pathology, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York. Since 2001 he has been Associate Professor of Anatomic Pathology at University of Florence Medical School. In 2009 he became Secretary of the ESP Working Group on Head and Neck Pathology. Dr. Franchi's research has focused on head and neck pathology, bone and soft tissue pathology, dermatopathology, and ultrastructural pathology. He has published more than 150 scientific publications in peer-reviewed journals and 12 contributions to textbooks, and has given more than 200 presentations at national and international congresses.

Nina Gale graduated in medicine from the University of Ljubljana in 1975, and subsequently undertook a Residency in Pathology at the university's Institute of Pathology. She obtained a Doctorate of Science in 1985. Dr. Gale has been Head of the Department of Head and Neck Pathology, Institute of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana since 1983, and in 2001 she became Director of the Institute. She was appointed Professor of Pathology in 1997, having previously served as Visiting Professor at the College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati (Division of Molecular Oncology, Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery). Dr. Gale has undertaken research work in various areas of head and neck pathology and played an active part in reviewing and further formulating histological criteria of the Ljubljana classification of squamous intraepithelial lesions. Since 2004 she has been a member of the editorial board of Virchows Archiv. She has authored more than 150 scientific and other papers in different medical and scientific journals as well as 12 book chapters and a previous book.

Pieter Slootweg graduated in dentistry at the Utrecht University Dental School in 1974. He trained in Oral Pathology and completed his PhD thesis on mixed odontogenic tumours in 1979. In 1981, he obtained his MD at the Utrecht University Medical School and in 1988 he qualified as consultant histopathologist. In 1995 Dr. Slootweg became Professor of Oral Pathology at the Utrecht University Medical Center. Since 2004, he has been Professor of Pathology at the Radboud University Medical Centre at Nijmegen. He has published more than 200 papers on various topics in head and neck pathology and has contributed to several books on surgical pathology of the head and neck. His research interest is in molecular biology of head and neck squamous cell cancer and surgical pathology of salivary glands and maxillofacial bones. He is on the editorial boards of Virchows Archiv, the Journal of Craniomaxillofacial Surgery, the International Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Oral Oncology, Pathology Research International, and Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery.