Editing Pathology (section)

====Dermatopathology====
{{Main|Dermatopathology}}
[[File:Melanoma.jpg|thumb|right|A [[malignant melanoma]] can often be suspected from sight, but confirmation of the diagnosis or outright removal requires a biopsy.]]

Dermatopathology is a subspecialty of anatomic pathology that focuses on the skin and the rest of the [[integumentary system]] as an organ.  It is unique, in that there are two paths a physician can take to obtain the specialization.  All general pathologists and general dermatologists train in the pathology of the skin, so the term [[dermatopathologist]] denotes either of these who has reached a certain level of accreditation and experience; in the US, either a general pathologist or a [[dermatologist]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.abderm.org/subspecialties/derm.html|website = American Board of Dermatology|title=Dermatopathology|url-status=live|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20101207093353/http://www.abderm.org/subspecialties/derm.html|archive-date=2010-12-07}}</ref> can undergo a 1 to 2 year fellowship in the field of dermatopathology.  The completion of this fellowship allows one to take a subspecialty board examination, and becomes a board certified dermatopathologist. Dermatologists are able to recognize most skin diseases based on their appearances, anatomic distributions, and behavior. Sometimes, however, those criteria do not lead to a conclusive diagnosis, and a [[skin biopsy]] is taken to be examined under the microscope using usual histological tests. In some cases, additional specialized testing needs to be performed on biopsies, including [[immunofluorescence]], [[immunohistochemistry]], [[electron microscopy]], [[flow cytometry]], and molecular-pathologic analysis.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dermnetnz.org/doctors/dermatopathology/stains.html |title= Special stains and tests – DermNet New Zealand|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110520143832/http://dermnetnz.org/doctors/dermatopathology/stains.html |archive-date=2011-05-20|date=2008}}</ref>  One of the greatest challenges of dermatopathology is its scope. More than 1500 different disorders of the skin exist, including cutaneous eruptions ("[[rashes]]") and [[neoplasms]]. Therefore, dermatopathologists must maintain a broad base of knowledge in clinical dermatology, and be familiar with several other specialty areas in Medicine.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Dermatopathology |url=http://booksfriend.blogspot.com/2010/10/dermatopathology-third-edition-by.html}}</ref>