The Services of an Anatomic Pathology Laboratory

For any reputable medical facility, the assistance of an anatomic pathologist is an important component of making an accurate diagnosis. Anatomic pathologists excel at observing human tissue samples extracted by a patient's doctor and then taking note of any defects or diseases through a series of tests. Here are two of the most common diagnostic services that anatomic pathology laboratories offer to their clients:

Testing for HPV

If you receive an abnormal Pap smear result and your doctor tells you that it may be due to an infection with HPV (human papillomavirus), you may start to worry about what it means for your health. You may have heard that HPV increases a woman's risk of cervical cancer, but an abnormal test result doesn't mean that you have cervical cancer now. HPV is a common virus, and four out of five people will be diagnosed with the virus in their lives. Most women who have it do not necessarily develop cervical cancer.

Correlation of Dermatology and Pathology

Dermatopathology is a combined specialty of dermatology and surgical pathology which focuses on skin diseases at a microscopic and cellular level. Most Dermatopathologists have been primarily trained in dermatology, and they usually work with dermatologists. The role of the dermatologist in this practice is to recognize skin diseases in relation to their appearances and associated symptoms. However, there are cases when the criteria provided is not enough to arrive at a conclusive diagnosis, so biopsies are taken so they can be examined microscopically by a trained Dermatopathologist in order to render an accurate diagnosis.

Pathologists: The Doctors of Doctors

Although oncologists are doctors whose expertise lies in diagnosing, understanding, and treating cancer, many of the principles that they use are linked to pathology. In fact, pathologists are sometimes called the “doctors' doctors” because their specialized knowledge in the diagnosis, cause, development, and characteristics of disease is applied in various branches of the medical field and is relied upon by treating physicians in order to determine treatment options for their patient.

Understanding the Basics of Pathology

Pathology is the science of studying all aspects of human diseases. It studies illnesses that can be passed on genetically, including conditions that plague the blood, tissues, organs and body systems when attacked by microorganisms like viruses and bacteria. It is the study of the human body, but more than that, it documents where and how and why the body malfunctions, or sometimes, one of its systems goes against the whole.