Editing Pathology (section)

====Surgical pathology====
{{Main|Surgical pathology}}
[[File:Brain biopsy under stereotaxy.jpg|thumb|230px|[[Brain biopsy]] under [[stereotaxy]]. A small part of the tumor is taken via a needle with a vacuum system.]]

Surgical pathology is one of the primary areas of practice for most anatomical pathologists. Surgical pathology involves the [[Gross pathology|gross]] and microscopic examination of surgical specimens, as well as biopsies submitted by surgeons and non-surgeons such as [[internal medicine|general internists]], [[Medical specialties|medical subspecialists]], [[dermatologists]], and [[radiology|interventional radiologists]].  Often an [[Surgery#Types of surgery|excised]] [[tissue sample]] is the best and most definitive evidence of disease (or lack thereof) in cases where tissue is surgically removed from a patient.  These determinations are usually accomplished by a combination of gross (i.e., macroscopic) and histologic (i.e., microscopic) examination of the tissue, and may involve evaluations of molecular properties of the tissue by immunohistochemistry or other laboratory tests.{{cn|date=August 2022}}

There are two major types of specimens submitted for surgical pathology analysis: biopsies and surgical resections.  A biopsy is a small piece of tissue removed primarily for surgical pathology analysis, most often in order to render a definitive diagnosis. Types of biopsies include core biopsies, which are obtained through the use of large-bore needles, sometimes under the guidance of radiological techniques such as [[ultrasound]], [[CT scan]], or [[magnetic resonance imaging]].  Incisional biopsies are obtained through diagnostic surgical procedures that remove part of a suspicious [[lesion]], whereas excisional biopsies remove the entire lesion, and are similar to therapeutic surgical resections. Excisional biopsies of [[skin lesions]] and [[gastrointestinal]] [[polyps]] are very common. The pathologist's interpretation of a biopsy is critical to establishing the diagnosis of a benign or malignant tumor, and can differentiate between different types and grades of cancer, as well as determining the activity of specific molecular pathways in the tumor. Surgical resection specimens are obtained by the therapeutic surgical removal of an entire diseased area or organ (and occasionally multiple organs). These procedures are often intended as definitive surgical treatment of a disease in which the diagnosis is already known or strongly suspected, but pathological analysis of these specimens remains important in confirming the previous diagnosis.{{cn|date=August 2022}}