Histopathologists

Histopathologists are physicians who specialize in diagnosing disease by examining tissue specimens under the microscope, a field also known as surgical pathology. They evaluate biopsies and surgical resections, perform gross examination, prepare tissue sections, select stains, and interpret results in the context of patient history and other laboratory findings. They may also supervise autopsies and contribute to tumor boards and multidisciplinary care teams.

In many countries, histopathologists are medical doctors who complete medical school and a residency in pathology, followed by fellowship in surgical histopathology or subspecialties. In some systems, scientists with doctoral degrees may perform certain histology tasks, but the formal sign-out of pathology reports is typically done by a trained pathologist.

Techniques include routine hematoxylin and eosin staining, special stains, immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, in situ hybridization, and increasingly molecular pathology tests. Digital pathology and telepathology are used for image analysis and remote consultation. Histopathologists integrate clinical information, gross findings, and radiology data to determine a diagnosis, grading, and staging of disease, especially cancers.

Subspecialties include dermatopathology, gastrointestinal and hepatobiliary pathology, neurohistopathology, breast pathology, genitourinary pathology, gynecologic pathology, head and neck pathology, and pediatric pathology, among others.

Pathologists’ reports guide treatment choices, prognosis, and patient management. Quality control, peer review, and external accreditation programmes support accuracy and safety. The field has a long history dating to nineteenth-century advances in tissue diagnosis and continues to expand with molecular and digital techniques.