Histopathology

Histopathology is the diagnosis and study of diseases of the tissues, and involves
examining tissues and/or cells under a microscope. Histopathologists are responsible
for making tissue diagnoses and helping clinicians manage a patient’s care.
Histopathologists are doctors who work closely with other clinical specialties. They can
reach a diagnosis by examining a small piece of tissue from the skin, liver, kidney or
other organ. This is called a biopsy.

They examine the tissue carefully under a microscope, looking for changes in cells
that might explain what is causing a patient’s illness.

Histopathologists provide a diagnostic service for cancer; they handle the cells and
tissues removed from suspicious ‘lumps and bumps’, identify the nature of the
abnormality and, if malignant, provide information to the clinician about the type of
cancer, its grade and, for some cancers, its responsiveness to certain treatments.