What is a pathologist?
A pathologist is a doctor who studies, examines, and makes diagnoses based on the appearance of the cells that make up the body. This is almost always done using “biopsy,” a small area of cells that are removed from the body and prepared with special chemicals to allow the pathologist to examine them under a microscope.
There are many specialized pathologists. Some perform autopsies if an individual dies and the cause is unclear. Others primarily examine one area of the body such as the skin, blood, liver, or another organ. There are also pathologists who only perform research on new technologies and diagnostic tools.
Do pathologists see patients?
Pathologists rarely see patients. The majority of pathologists are focused on finding specific things in a sample of tissue. Sometimes a pathologist may need to ask questions about a patient in order to know what to look for in a biopsy. They usually will get this information from the doctor who obtained the biopsy or tissue sample. Most of the diagnoses and information from a pathologist will be communicated to you by your primary doctor or surgeon.
Are pathologists real doctors?
Yes, pathologists spend four years in medical school and multiple years in a residency after medical school. They also have a board certification process that qualifies them to make countless diagnoses based on small tissue samples alone.
What can a pathologist test for?
Pathologists can test for nearly any tissue abnormality. One of the most critical things that pathologists test for is cancer. While findings for cancer may appear on blood tests, x-rays, MRIs, and CT scans, the only thing that can confirm the diagnosis is a sample of the cancerous cells examined by a pathologist.
Besides biopsies for cancer, pathologists also review skin biopsies, muscle biopsies, and intestinal biopsies with inflammation of unknown etiology, infection, and various structural abnormalities. As a general rule, a pathologist's role is to perform a confirmatory test for conditions that are suggested by other tests.
What does a pathologist treat?
Pathologists do not typically treat medical conditions themselves. Instead, their biopsies are used to determine what treatment is required and are sometimes used to monitor how your body is responding to treatment. Some of the conditions that lead a pathologist to be involved in your care are:
- Severe rashes
- Skin abnormalities that are concerning for cancer
- Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis
- Colon cancer
- Breast cancer
- Lymphoma and leukemia
Do pathologists perform surgery?
No, pathologists do not perform surgery. They examine the tissue biopsies recovered by surgeons during their procedures. Sometimes pathologists are present in the operating room with the surgeons during operations for certain cancers. This allows surgeons to have instant feedback from the pathologist about the contents of the tissue they are removing. This allows surgeons to continue removing tissue if there are still signs of cancer in the sections of tissue the surgeons are reviewing.
