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Thursday, October 10, 2013

Basic Facts on Anatomic Pathology

Anatomic pathology is a branch of pathology that examines anatomical specimens to have more information about the process of diseases and cause of deaths. When it comes to cancer, anatomic pathologists examine biopsy samples that surgeons take from their patients in order to find out if the sample is cancerous or not.

There are different sub-specialties in anatomic pathology. The major ones are: dermpatopathology (examination and study of the skin), neuropathology (examination of brain tissue) and cytopathology (study of cells in samples). Others specialties are molecular pathology, osteopathology, and forensic pathology.


A pathologist examines anatomical samples to know if they are normal or not. Once they determine that the sample contains abnormalities or aberrations, their next goal is to identify its grade (how aggressive) and stage (how extent). Anatomic pathology is done to diagnose and treat certain types of diseases. It also helps in verifying that the surgeon was able to remove the whole tumor during surgery.


People who are interested in working in this field need to be detail-oriented and should have great critical thinking skills to allow them to clearly interpret results.

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