- What is histological examination? Histological examination involves the microscopic examination of tissue samples. Every tissue removed from the human body is examined microscopically to confirm or rule out a clinical diagnosis and to investigate the possibility of disease. The tissues can be small biopsy samples, such as a stomach biopsy from an endoscopy, to large surgical specimens like mastectomies, bowel resections, etc.
- Where and by whom is the pathological examination performed? The pathological examination is performed in pathology laboratories and includes both macroscopic and microscopic examination of tissues. It is a medical procedure performed by doctors specializing in pathological anatomy.
- When is a histological examination done? All tissues removed from the body must be examined histologically, such as biopsies from the stomach, skin, breast, prostate, etc., as well as surgical specimens like breast, lung, uterus specimens, etc.
- How long does it take to complete a histological examination? The pathology laboratory of the Mediterranean Hospital of Cyprus has set goals for categorizing samples in relation to the processing time: i. Small sample (2-3 working days) ii. Medium sample (2-3 working days) iii. Large sample (3-4 working days) iv. Rapid biopsy (20 minutes per rapid biopsy)
It should be noted that the primary concern of the laboratory doctors is to provide all the necessary information and scientific documentation as quickly as possible. This may require additional tests, such as histochemistry, immunohistochemistry, which can extend the overall processing time.
- Does the result of a rapid biopsy constitute a final diagnosis? A rapid biopsy is performed during surgery to make a therapeutic decision and to determine the type of surgical approach. Reasons for performing rapid biopsies and questions to be answered immediately by the pathologist: • Tissue identification (e.g., parathyroid gland) • Whether the tissue is cancerous or not • Whether there is metastasis in a lymph node or distant site • Whether the tumor resection margins are free of cancer or involved The histological sections examined with this method are not of the same quality as those of the final histological examination. Therefore, all rapid biopsies are confirmed by a second histological examination, which gives the final diagnosis. The agreement rate between rapid biopsy and final histological examination is approximately 97%.
- Can additional tests be done on the tissue being examined or already examined? In most cases, yes. However, depending on the nature of the material (type of surgery from which the biopsy was taken, biopsy size, tissue origin, etc.) or the requested test, it may sometimes not be sufficient. Biopsy tissues are not unlimited, and in some cases, they may be unique. Therefore, a careful study is carried out by the pathologist to choose the additional tests to be performed, as well as by clinical colleagues after the diagnosis (e.g., additional molecular or immunohistochemical testing).
