What Are the Key Questions Pathologists Ask During Assessments?

Pathologists ask several important questions to guide their assessments:

Is the tissue architecture normal or abnormal? Pathologists compare the sample to known normal structures to identify deviations.
Are there signs of inflammation or infection? They look for immune cell infiltration or pathogens in the tissue.
Is there evidence of neoplasia? They examine the tissue for abnormal cell growth that could indicate benign or malignant tumors.
What is the degree of differentiation? They assess how much the cells resemble normal cells of the same type, which can indicate the aggressiveness of a tumor.
Are there specific markers present? Using techniques like IHC, pathologists identify markers that can help diagnose specific diseases.