The 8th annual Current Topics in Gastrointestinal and Liver Pathology course was held on the campus of the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions in Baltimore, MD, USA, on the 8-9 November 2008. Lectures and hands-on microscopy sessions were provided by the Johns Hopkins Division of Gastrointestinal Pathology faculty and a guest faculty member from the University of Michigan (MI, USA). Key topics included newly recognized staging issues, the application of molecular techniques and practical topics for diagnostic pathologists.