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40 DM Onco-Pathology Thesis Topics

Academic session 2026-2027  · 40 topics

This page lists 40 onco-pathology thesis topics for DM candidates in India for the 2026-2027 academic session. Onco-pathology research is almost always a diagnostic accuracy or biomarker correlation study, and its strength is that the reference standard sits in the same department: final histopathological diagnosis on the resection specimen.

The onco-pathology thesis topics below use that structure. They cover site-wise tumour histopathology and grading, immunohistochemical biomarkers and their clinical correlations, predictive marker assessment for treatment selection, intraoperative and cytological correlation, and the quality and reproducibility of oncological pathological reporting. Forty rather than fifty, reflecting the field honestly.

Click any topic to open it in the protocol generator with the title already filled in.

  1. A cross-sectional study of the histopathological spectrum of breast carcinoma and its correlation with tumour gradeGet protocol
  2. An observational study of hormone receptor and human epidermal growth factor receptor two expression in breast carcinomaGet protocol
  3. A study of the concordance between core needle biopsy and surgical excision specimen findings in breast cancerGet protocol
  4. An observational study of the pathological response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in breast carcinomaGet protocol
  5. A study of Ki-67 proliferation index and its correlation with histological grade in breast carcinomaGet protocol
  6. An observational study of the histopathological spectrum of carcinoma of the oral cavityGet protocol
  7. A cross-sectional study of the depth of invasion and its correlation with nodal metastasis in oral cancerGet protocol
  8. An observational study of perineural and lymphovascular invasion and their prognostic associations in head and neck cancerGet protocol
  9. A study of the resection margin status and its correlation with disease recurrence in oral malignancyGet protocol
  10. An observational study of the tumour budding grade and its clinical significance in colorectal carcinomaGet protocol
  11. A cross-sectional study of microsatellite instability assessment in colorectal carcinoma specimensGet protocol
  12. An observational study of the histopathological and immunohistochemical profile of gastric carcinomaGet protocol
  13. A study of the lauren classification and its correlation with clinical and pathological features in gastric cancerGet protocol
  14. An observational study of programmed death ligand one expression in carcinoma specimensGet protocol
  15. A cross-sectional study of the histopathological spectrum of lung carcinoma at a tertiary centreGet protocol
  16. An observational study of the immunohistochemical subclassification of non-small cell lung carcinomaGet protocol
  17. A study of the concordance between cytology and histopathology in lung carcinoma specimensGet protocol
  18. An observational study of thyroid carcinoma histopathology and the correlation with molecular marker expressionGet protocol
  19. A cross-sectional study of the histopathological and immunohistochemical profile of renal tumoursGet protocol
  20. An observational study of the Fuhrman grading and its correlation with clinical stage in renal cell carcinomaGet protocol
  21. A cross-sectional study of the histopathological spectrum of ovarian malignancy and immunohistochemical subtypingGet protocol
  22. An observational study of the endometrial carcinoma grade and its correlation with myometrial invasionGet protocol
  23. A study of the histopathological findings in cervical carcinoma and their correlation with stageGet protocol
  24. An observational study of the histopathological profile of urothelial carcinoma of the bladderGet protocol
  25. A cross-sectional study of the histopathological and immunohistochemical profile of soft tissue sarcomasGet protocol
  26. An observational study of the grading and mitotic index in soft tissue tumoursGet protocol
  27. A study of the intraoperative frozen section findings and their concordance with final histopathologyGet protocol
  28. An observational study of the interobserver agreement in histopathological grading of carcinomaGet protocol
  29. A cross-sectional study of the diagnostic utility of immunohistochemical panels in poorly differentiated malignancyGet protocol
  30. An observational study of the concordance between cytological and histopathological diagnosis in oncology specimensGet protocol
  31. A study of the adequacy and diagnostic yield of image guided biopsies in oncologyGet protocol
  32. An observational study of the turnaround time for oncological histopathology reportingGet protocol
  33. A cross-sectional study of the completeness of oncological pathology reports against standardised elementsGet protocol
  34. An observational study of clinicopathological correlation conferences and their impact on management decisionsGet protocol
  35. A study of the specimen handling practices and their effect on biomarker testing qualityGet protocol
  36. An observational study of false negative rates in intraoperative frozen section diagnosisGet protocol
  37. A cross-sectional study of the histopathological spectrum of secondary tumours in the liverGet protocol
  38. An observational study of the concordance between radiology and histopathology in characterising hepatic lesionsGet protocol
  39. A study of the pre-analytical variables affecting immunohistochemical staining qualityGet protocol
  40. An observational study of the diagnostic impact of molecular testing results on pathological classificationGet protocol

Choosing a DM Onco-Pathology thesis topic

What makes an onco-pathology thesis distinct from a general pathology one?

Predictive and prognostic biomarker assessment. A general pathology thesis describes the histopathological spectrum; an onco-pathology thesis correlates a marker with grade, stage, treatment response or clinical outcome in a defined tumour type. The latter produces a quantitative result against a reference standard, which is what examiners in this superspecialty look for.

Which biomarkers are practical for a thesis?

Those already run in routine diagnostic practice at the department: hormone receptor status in breast cancer, human epidermal growth factor receptor two in breast and gastric cancer, programmed death ligand one where it is tested routinely, and established grading markers. A study built on an unstocked antibody requires a purchase that may never be approved, and panels requiring three or more specialised markers on two hundred cases will exceed departmental funding.

How should interobserver agreement be reported?

Using kappa statistics for categorical agreement, with interpretation benchmarked against published thresholds. State who performed the independent assessments, their experience level, and whether they were blinded to clinical data. Interobserver variation studies in oncological pathology are well regarded precisely because they reveal something important about diagnostic reproducibility.

Thesis and protocol questions

How is a thesis topic different from a thesis protocol?

The topic is the title — the question a study sets out to answer, together with the population and the design. The protocol is the full document built around it: background, review of literature, aims and objectives, inclusion and exclusion criteria, sample size calculation, methodology, statistical plan, ethics considerations, consent documents and references. A topic is agreed with a guide first; the protocol is written afterwards and submitted to the institutional ethics committee.

When does a postgraduate thesis have to be submitted?

For most Indian postgraduate programmes the protocol is submitted within the first six months of joining, and the completed thesis is submitted at least six months before the final examination. Exact deadlines are set by the university, so the departmental circular for the current session takes precedence over any general timeline.

How is sample size decided for a postgraduate thesis?

Sample size follows from the primary objective, not the other way round. A prevalence study is powered from an expected proportion and an acceptable margin of error; a comparative study is powered from the expected difference between groups, the standard deviation, alpha and desired power. The figure should then be checked against the institution's actual case load for the study period, because a statistically ideal sample that cannot be recruited in the time available is not a workable plan.

Does a thesis topic need ethics committee approval?

Yes. Every postgraduate thesis involving human participants, human data or human samples requires clearance from the institutional ethics committee before data collection begins. Approval is granted on the protocol rather than on the title, and the submission usually includes the protocol, the participant information sheet and the consent form in English and in the local language.

What makes a topic realistic for a three-year postgraduate programme?

A workable topic can be completed at a single centre, with equipment and investigations that are already available in routine practice, within roughly eighteen months of data collection. Topics that depend on external funding, specialised assays, multicentre coordination or long follow-up tend to stall. Choosing a condition the department already sees in volume matters more than choosing a novel one.

Can a thesis be published as a research paper afterwards?

Yes, and it is generally expected. A thesis is usually condensed into a paper of around three to four thousand words, restructured into the standard introduction, methods, results and discussion format, with the review of literature shortened considerably. Journals differ in their requirements, and the ethics approval number from the original thesis is normally cited in the methods section.

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