Small biopsy materials taken from the patients at the outpatient clinic as well as different organs and tissues with different sizes are transferred to the department of pathology. Pathologist is a medical doctor specialized in the field of pathology. Pathology is the branch of medicine where the tissues and cells are analyzed with a microscope for diagnosis.
The methods of treatment offered to patients and the success of the treatment are very much related to the correctness of the diagnosis. In some cases, the diagnosis is completed by a pathologist by means of a biopsy. Especially for cancer, pathology has a specific importance.
For the diagnosis of cancer, the pathological diagnosis is the golden standard – only the pathologist can come up with an exact diagnosis. Whether the cancer exists or not and if it does exist what its type and classification is could only be detected by a pathological examination. And the most important step in cancer treatment is the correctness of pathological diagnosis (biopsy).
The correctness of pathological diagnosis is related to the education, experience and judgment ability of the pathologist.
The duty of the pathologist:
Diagnosis
Macroscopic and microscopic analysis of the body tissues coming to the laboratory as well as carrying out certain special laboratory tests determined by the pathologist contribute greatly to the diagnosis carried out by the clinician and the surgeons.
Planning of the treatment (surgical treatment/medical treatment) and determination of prognosis (course of illness)
Pathologist takes part in determination of the treatment planning and patient prognosis by means of routine macroscopic and microscopic investigations (for instance, to detect the existence and degree of its expansion) as well as through certain tests determining whether a certain medication will be applied or not and whether certain biological symptoms exists or not (for instance, immunohistochemical or immunofleurescent tests, or those requiring FISH or molecular methods). In addition to this, the pathologist also helps shaping the course of the surgical operation through the process named intraoperative consultation ("frozen section") as well as urgent microscopic diagnosis during the operation.
For all these reasons, pathology and the pathologist play a very important role for the patient, the clinician, the oncologist and the surgeon.
Our department houses 8 professors, 3 associate professors, 1 assistant professor and 1 teaching assistant specialized on liver pathology, gastro-intestinal pathology, blood diseases pathology, gynecological pathology, lung pathology, head and neck pathology, skin pathology, neural system pathology, kidney pathology, cytopathology, uro-pathology, soft tissue and bone pathology, endocrine pathology, breast pathology, periodontal pathology, eye diseases pathology and molecular pathology.
Histochemistry, immunohistochemistry, immunofleurescent microscopy, fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) and molecular methods are used to help the processes of diagnosis, treatment and prognosis. In the special room within the operating room, intraoperative consultation ("frozen section") service is provided to help urgent diagnosis during the operation.