pathologist
Meaning of pathologist: The doctor whose name appears on the report that names the disease, usually without ever having met the person it describes.
Definition of pathologist
A pathologist is a physician who diagnoses disease by examining tissue, cells and body fluids, using a microscope together with laboratory testing. Pathologists read biopsy and surgical specimens to establish whether a sample is normal, inflamed, infected or contains an abnormal growth such as cancer, and they issue the report that names what was found.
How pathologist is built
- path/o Combining form · Greek disease, suffering
- -logist Suffix · Greek specialist in a field of study
A medical term is read from its ending backwards: the suffix first, then the prefix, then the root. See all 223 word parts.
What does a pathologist actually examine?
Tissue removed at biopsy or during an operation is fixed, sliced very thinly, stained and mounted on glass. Under the microscope the pathologist reads the architecture of the tissue and the appearance of individual cells: how they are arranged, how uniform their nuclei look, how often they are dividing, and whether they have pushed past the boundaries that normally contain them. Stains that mark particular proteins, and tests that look for specific genetic changes, are added when the appearance alone does not settle the question. For a cancer specimen the report also records how much tissue was removed, whether the edges are clear of tumor and whether any lymph nodes are involved.
What are the branches of pathology?
| Branch | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Anatomic pathology | Tissue and cell specimens, including biopsies, surgical specimens and autopsies |
| Clinical pathology | The laboratory testing of blood and other body fluids, and the running of the laboratory itself |
| Cytopathology | Loose cells rather than intact tissue, as in a cervical screening sample |
| Hematopathology | Blood, bone marrow and lymph nodes |
| Forensic pathology | Deaths investigated for legal purposes |
The word anatomic in this context signals structure, which is what tissue examination reads. Training routes and the names of these branches vary between countries.
Why is the pathologist rarely seen by the patient?
Most of the work is done on samples sent by other clinicians, and the findings travel back as a written report rather than as a conversation with the person the sample came from. That is not a rule without exceptions. Pathologists take some samples themselves, run transfusion services, advise on which tests to order, and speak directly with the surgeon while an operation is still in progress. Confusion with another role is common: a speech pathologist works face to face with people on speech and swallowing and is not a physician examining tissue.
Used in a sentence
The pathologist reviewed the biopsy specimen and issued a report describing the tissue findings.
Good to know
A pathologist's diagnosis rests on tissue and fluid samples rather than on examining the patient, which is why a pathology report is interpreted alongside the clinical history and other test results.
Word origin
Where “pathologist” comes from
Formed from patho-, from Greek pathos, meaning suffering or disease, and -logist, from Greek logos, meaning one who studies.