Histopathology lab Flashcards
What are the main task of a histopathologists?
To get a diagnosis
to stage cancer
monitor disease and treatment
Which types of samples might used in histopathology?
Biopsies
Resection specimens
Frozen sections
Post-mortems
Which type of tissue samplings might be taken in cytopathology tests?
Smears
Fine needle aspirates
Which things are being lookes for in biopsies of tissue in a histopathology lab?
- Is the sample normal?
- Is there inflammation? If so- what causes the inflammation?
- Cancer? What type of tumor?
What does a histopathologist look for in a ressection sample?
- Are there clear margins? (is the cancer fully out?)
- Has the cancer spread? Where is the cancer?
When are frozen sections in histopathology used?
What does a histopathologist look for?
Used for rapid diagnosis (30 min) while patient is in theatre
- •Is it cancer?
- Is it all out?
- Is there something else going on?
How are sections examined in a histopathology lab obtained?
- Specimen must be properly labelled
- Fixed in Formalin (Formaldehyde)
- Embedded in parafin Wax
- Sliced
What is done in a histopathology lab to the obtained sections?
- Stain e.g. gram, ZN.
- Identify specific antigens using antibodies = immunohistochemistry
- Carry out molecular tests
How long does a histopathology result take to reach the clinician?
- Frozen section: 30 minutes
- For biopsies: 2-3 days
- For resection specimens: 5-7 days
