Ozgur Mete

Ozgur Mete, MD, FRCPC is a Senior Consultant Endocrine Pathologist at the University Health Network, and Professor in the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology at the University of Toronto. 

Dr. Mete received his medical degree from Istanbul University in 2001 and completed his residency training in Anatomical Pathology at Istanbul University in 2005. He then did fellowship training in endocrine pathology under the supervision of Professor Sylvia L. Asa at the University of Toronto. 

He was appointed as an academic pathologist at Istanbul University before joining the faculty at the University of Toronto in January, 2011.

Dr. Mete’s research focusses on the translation of basic findings to clinical tests that provide diagnostic, prognostic, and predictive biomarkers for endocrine and neuroendocrine neoplasms. His other interests involve development of practice guidelines, digital pathology, and innovative teaching designs.

Dr Mete is currently the Anatomic Pathology Residency Site Director at the University Health Network. 

Dr. Mete has lectured in many international meetings, has co-edited 5 pathology textbooks, and authored over 140 textbook chapters, and more than 250 peer-reviewed journal articles in endocrine pathology. 

As a World Health Organization (WHO) recognized international disease expert, Dr Ozgur Mete has been appointed as one of the expert editors for the 5th series of the WHO endocrine and neuroendocrine, and the WHO head&neck bluebooks. In addition, Dr Mete served as a leading author in several chapters for the 4th and 5th editions of the WHO classification of endocrine and neuroendocrine tumors, and he has been actively involved in endocrine chapters in the 5th series of the WHO central nervous system, pediatric, genitourinary, head&neck and genetic tumor syndromes bluebooks. 

Dr. Mete is currently the Editor-in-Chief of Endocrine Pathology Journal and has been the President of Endocrine Pathology Society (2020-2022). As a member of the College of American Pathologists (CAP)’s Cancer Committee, Dr Mete was the endocrine pathology lead to develop and maintain the CAP endocrine tumor protocols between 2019-2025.

Research synopsis

My research program is based on the translation of basic findings to clinical tests for endocrine diseases.

My work concentrates on the study of novel biomarkers in endocrine tumors and their role as prognostic, predictive, and diagnostic markers.

We have constructed tissue microarrays of several types of endocrine tumors; we analyze novel diagnostic and predictive biomarkers.

In collaboration with other members of the Endocrine Oncology Group at PMH/OCI, we aim to evolve the pathologists’ role in the era of personalized medicine.

The molecular histopathology prediction models of genetic drivers are made possible by using histomorphology and/or immunohistochemistry in various endocrine tumors.

This research program also helps us to better understand important genotype-phenotype correlations that should be recognized as harbingers of hereditary endocrine tumor syndromes.

An additional area of interest involves the application of Digital Analysis in Anatomical Pathology.

Selected publications

Mete O, Boucher A, Schrader KA, Abdel-Rahman O, Bahig H, Ho C, Hasan OK, Lemieux B, Winquist E, Wong R, Wu J, Chau N, Ezzat S. Consensus statement: Recommendations on Actionable Biomarker Testing in Thyroid Cancer Management. Endocrine Pathology. 2024. 

Taïeb D, Nölting S, Perrier ND, Fassnacht M, Carrasquillo JA, Grossman AB, Clifton-Bligh R, Wanna GB, Schwam ZG, Amar L, Bourdeau I, Casey RT, Crona J, Deal CL, Del Rivero J, Duh QY, Eisenhofer G, Fojo T, Ghayee HK, Gimenez-Roqueplo AP, Gill AJ, Hicks R, Imperiale A, Jha A, Kerstens MN, de Krijger RR, Lacroix A, Lazurova I, Lin FI, Lussey-Lepoutre C, Maher ER, Mete O, Naruse M, Nilubol N, Robledo M, Sebag F, Shah NS, Tanabe A, Thompson GB, Timmers HJLM, Widimsky J, Young WJ Jr, Meuter L, Lenders JWM, Pacak K. Management of phaeochromocytoma and paraganglioma in patients with germline SDHB pathogenic variants: an international expert Consensus statement. Nat Rev Endocrinol. 2024 Mar;20(3): 168-184.

Taïeb D, Wanna GB, Ahmad M, Lussey-Lepoutre C, Perrier ND, Nölting S, Amar L, Timmers HJLM, Schwam ZG, Estrera AL, Lim M, Pollom EL, Vitzthum L, Bourdeau I, Casey RT, Castinetti F, Clifton-Bligh R, Corssmit EPM, de Krijger RR, Del Rivero J, Eisenhofer G, Ghayee HK, Gimenez-Roqueplo AP, Grossman A, Imperiale A, Jansen JC, Jha A, Kerstens MN, Kunst HPM, Liu JK, Maher ER, Marchioni D, Mercado-Asis LB, Mete O, Naruse M, Nilubol N, Pandit-Taskar N, Sebag F, Tanabe A, Widimsky J, Meuter L, Lenders JWM, Pacak K. Clinical consensus guideline on the management of phaeochromocytoma and paraganglioma in patients harbouring germline SDHD pathogenic variants. Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol. 2023 May;11(5):345-361.

Mete O, Erickson LA, Juhlin CC, de Krijger RR, Sasano H, Volante M, Papotti MG. Overview of the 2022 WHO classification of adrenal cortical tumors. Endocrine Pathology 2022; 33:155-196. 

Mete O, Asa SL, Gill AJ, Kimura N, de Krijger RR, Tischler A. Overview of the 2022 WHO classification of paragangliomas and pheochromocytomas. Endocrine Pathology 2022; 33:90-114. 

Erickson LA, Mete O, Juhlin CC, Perren A, Gill AJ. Overview of the 2022 WHO classification of parathyroid tumors. Endocrine Pathology 2022; 33: 64-89. 

Rindi G, Mete O, Uccella S, Basturk O, La Rosa S, Brosens LAA, Ezzat S, de Herder WW, Klimstra DS, Papotti MG, Asa SL. Overview of the 2022 WHO classification of neuroendocrine neoplasms. Endocrine Pathology 2022; 33: 115-154. 

Asa SL, Mete O, Perry A, Osamura RY. Overview of the 2022 WHO classification of pituitary tumors. Endocrine Pathology 2022; 33:6-26. 

Baloch ZW, Asa SL, Barletta JA, Ghossein RA, Juhlin CC, Jung CK, LiVolsi VA, Papotti MG, Simoes MS, Tallini G, Mete O. Overview of the 2022 WHO classification of thyroid tumors. Endocrine Pathology 2022; 33:27-63. 

Stosic A, Fulligni F, Anderson N, Davidson S, de Borja R, Acker M, Forte V, Campisi P, Propst E, Wolter N, Chami R, Mete O, Malkin D, Shlien A, Wasserman J. Diverse oncogenic fusions and distinct gene expression patterns define the genomic landscape of pediatric papillary thyroid carcinoma. Cancer Research. 2021;(81):22:5625-5637.

Boyraz B, Sadow PM, Asa SL, Dias-Santagata D, Nosé V, Mete O. Cribriform-Morular Thyroid Carcinoma Is a Distinct Thyroid Malignancy of Uncertain Cytogenesis. Endocrine Pathology. 2021 Sep; 32(3):327-335.

Mete O, Pakbaz S, Lerario AM, Giordano TJ, Asa SL. Significance of Alpha-inhibin Expression in Pheochromocytomas and Paragangliomas. Am J Surg Pathol. 2021; 45(9):1264-1273.

Juhlin CC, Bertherat J, Giordano TJ, Hammer GD, Sasano H, Mete O. What Did We Learn From The Molecular Biology Of Adrenal Cortical Neoplasia? From Histopathology to Translational Genomics. Endocrine Pathology. 2021; 32(1):102-133.

Mete O, Kefeli M, Caliskan S, Asa SL. GATA-3 immunoreactivity expands the transcription profile of pituitary neuroendocrine tumors. Mod Pathol. 2019 Apr; 32(4); 484-489.

Mete O, Asa SL, Giordano TJ, Papotti M, Sasano H, Volante M. Immunohistochemical Biomarkers of Adrenal Cortical Neoplasms. Endocrine Pathology. 2018; 29(2): 137-149.

Mete O, Gucer H, Kefeli M, Asa SL. Diagnostic and Predictive Biomarkers of Adrenal Cortical Carcinoma. American Journal of Surgical Pathology. 2018 Feb; 42(2): 201-213.

Fishbein L, Leshchiner I, Walter V, Danilova L, Robertson AG, Johnson AR, Lichtenberg TM, Murray BA, Ghayee HK, Else T, Ling S, Jefferys SR, de Cubas AA, Wenz B, Korpershoek E, Amelio AL, Makowski L, Rathmell WK, Gimenez-Roqueplo AP, Giordano TJ, Asa SL, Tischler AS; Akbani R, Ally A, Amar L, Amelio AL, Arachchi H, Auchus RJ, Auman JT, Baertsch R, Balasundaram M, Balu S, Bartsch DK, Baudin E, Bauer T, Beaver A, Benz C, Beroukhim R, Beuschlein F, Bodenheimer T, Boice L, Bowen J, Bowlby R, Brooks D, Carlsen R, Carter S, Cassol CA, Cherniack AD, Chin L, Cho J, Chuah E, Chudamani S, Cope L, Crain D, Curley E, Danilova L, de Cubas AA, de Krijger RR, Demchok JA, Deutschbein T, Dhalla N, Dimmock D, Dinjens WN, Else T, Eng C, Eschbacher J, Fassnacht M, Felau I, Feldman M, Ferguson ML, Fiddes I, Fishbein L, Frazer S, Gabriel SB, Gardner J, Gastier-Foster JM, Gehlenborg N, Gerken M, Getz G, Geurts J, Ghayee HK, Gimenez-Roqueplo AP, Goldman M, Graim K, Gupta M, Haan D, Hahner S, Hantel C, Haussler D, Hayes DN, Heiman DI, Hoadley KA, Holt RA, Hoyle AP, Huang M, Hunt B, Hutter CM, Jefferys SR, Johnson AR, Jones SJ, Jones CD, Kasaian K, Kebebew E, Kim J, Kimes P, Knijnenburg T, Korpershoek E, Lander E, Lawrence MS, Lechan R, Lee D, Leraas KM, Lerario A, Leshchiner I, Lichtenberg TM, Lin P, Ling S, Liu J, LiVolsi VA, Lolla L, Lotan Y, Lu Y, Ma Y, Maison N, Makowski L, Mallery D, Mannelli M, Marquard J, Marra MA, Matthew T, Mayo M, Méatchi T, Meng S, Merino MJ, Mete O, Meyerson M, Mieczkowski PA, Mills GB, Moore RA, Morozova O, Morris S, Mose LE, Mungall AJ, Murray BA, Naresh R, Nathanson KL, Newton Y, Ng S, Ni Y, Noble MS, Nwariaku F, Pacak K, Parker JS, Paul E, Penny R, Perou CM, Perou AH, Pihl T, Powers J, Rabaglia J, Radenbaugh A, Ramirez NC, Rao A, Rathmell WK, Riester A, Roach J, Robertson AG, Sadeghi S, Saksena G, Salama S, Saller C, Sandusky G, Sbiera S, Schein JE, Schumacher SE, Shelton C, Shelton T, Sheth M, Shi Y, Shih J, Shmulevich I, Simons JV, Sipahimalani P, Skelly T, Sofia HJ, Sokolov A, Soloway MG, Sougnez C, Stuart J, Sun C, Swatloski T, Tam A, Tan D, Tarnuzzer R, Tarvin K, Thiessen N, Thorne LB, Timmers HJ, Tse K, Uzunangelov V, van Berkel A, Veluvolu U, Vicha A, Voet D, Waldmann J, Walter V, Wan Y, Wang Z, Wang TS, Weaver J, Weinstein JN, Weismann D, Wenz B, Wise L, Wong T, Wong C, Wu Y, Yang L, Zelinka T, Zenklusen JC, Zhang JJ, Zhang W, Zhu J, Zinzindohoué F, Zmuda E, Pacak K, Nathanson KL, Wilkerson MD. Comprehensive Molecular Characterization of Pheochromocytoma and Paraganglioma. Cancer Cell. 2017 Feb; 31:181-193.

Zheng S, Cherniack AD, Dewal N, Moffitt RA, Danilova L, Murray BA, Lerario AM, Else T, Knijnenburg TA, Ciriello G, Kim S, Assie G, Morozova O, Akbani R, Shih J, Hoadl KA, Choueiri TK, Waldmann J, Mete O, Robertson AG, Raphael BJ, Meyerson M, Demeure MJ, Beuschlein F, Gill AJ, Latronico AC, Fragoso MC, Cope LM, Kebebew E, Habra MA, Whitsett TG, Bussey KJ, Rainey WE, Asa SL, Bertherat J, Fassnacht M, Wheeler DA, The Cancer Genome Atlas Research Network, Hammer GD, Giordano TJ, Verhaak RGW. Comprehensive Pan-Genomic Characterization of Adrenocortical Carcinoma. Cancer Cell. 2016; 29:723-36.

Mete O, Gomez-Hernandez K, Kucharczyk W, Ridout R, Zadeh G, Gentili F, Ezzat S, Asa SL. Silent subtype 3 pituitary adenomas are not always silent and represent poorly differentiated monomorphous plurihormonal Pit-1 lineage adenomas. Modern Pathology. 2016; 29:131-42.

Gomez Hernandez K, Ezzat S, Morel CFJ, Swallow CJ, Otremba M, Dickson BC, Asa SL, Mete O. Familial Pheochromocytoma and Renal Cell Carcinoma Syndrome: TMEM127 as a novel candidate gene for the association. Virchows Archiv. 2015; 466;727-32.

Mete O, Tischler A, de Krijger R, McNicol AM, Eisenhofer G, Pacak K, Ezzat S, Asa SL. Protocol for the Examination of Specimens from Patients with Pheochromocytomas and Extra-adrenal Paragangliomas. Archives Pathol Lab Med. 2014; 138:182-88.

Mete O, Lopes MB, Asa SL. Spindle cell oncocytomas and granular cell tumors of the pituitary are variants of pituicytoma. Am J Surg Pathol. 2013; 37:1694-99.

Erovic BM, Harrris L, Jamali M, Goldstein DP, Irish JC, Asa SL, Mete O. Biomarkers in parathyroid carcinomas. Endocrine Pathology. 2012; 23:221-31.

Mete O, Asa SL. Pathological definition and clinical significance of vascular invasion in thyroid carcinomas derived from follicular epithelium. Modern Pathology. 2011; 24:1545-52.

Mete O, Rotstein L, Asa SL. Controversies in Thyroid Pathology: Thyroid Capsule Invasion and Extrathyroidal Extension. Ann Surg Oncol. 2010; 17:386-91.

Honours and awards

Teaching excellence award of the MD program at the University of Toronto (2018)

Undergraduate teaching award, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto (2018)

Wightman-Berris Academy Award for excellence in undergraduate and postgraduate medical teaching at the University of Toronto (2014 and 2017)

Danny Ghazarian Resident Teaching Award, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto (2013)