Introduction to Pathology

Question 1

What is pathology?

Answer 1

The study of disease and underlying causes

Medical specialty that uses knownledge about disease to diagnose, classify, predict, and guide treatment.

Question 2

What is a disease?

Answer 2

Abnormal condition that affects part or all of an organism that consists of a disorder of a structure or function.

Question 3

What is diagnostic drift?

Answer 3

Parameters that define a disease change over time

Question 4

What is diagnostic shift?

Answer 4

New knowledge requires a redefinition of the problem (e.g Helicobacter Pylori and gastric ulcers, HPV and cervical cancer, germ theory of disease, Knudson hypothesis)

Question 5

What is the Knudson hypthesis?

Answer 5

Cancers aren’t random and are triggered by a sequence of mutations caused by carcinogens

Question 6

What is aetiology?

Answer 6

Study of causes

Question 7

What is pathogenesis?

Answer 7

Mechanism that leads to development of disease

Question 8

What are some diagnostic tools and techniques?

Answer 8

Morphology: Underlying cellular processes affect how cells, tissues look - recognition of patterns remains important. Can be qualitative or quantitative. Macroscopic, Microscopic, Ultrastructural

Biochemistry/Toxicology

Immunological (Find antigens through immunological examinations)

Genetic (We can look at genetics)

Question 9

What is cytopathology?

Answer 9

Examination of cells without looking at entire tissue.

Minimally invasive

Fast

and high accuracy