Pathology Services, Inc., A Surgical Pathology and Cytology Laboratory

Pathology Definitions

ANTIBODIES : a molecule that has a specific amino acid sequence which interacts only with the antigen that it was synthesized against.

ANTIGEN : a substance that stimulates the production of an antibody.

AUTOPSY : the act of having a postmortem examination of a body performed, including the internal organs and structures after dissection, so as to determine the cause of death or the nature of pathological changes.

BACTERIA : plural of bacterium.

BACTERIUM: in general, any of the single-celled prokaryotic microorganisms that commonly multiply by cell division (fission) and whose cell is typically contained within a cell wall.

CELL : any one of the minute protoplasmic masses that make up organized tissue, consisting of a nucleus which is surrounded by cytoplasm which contains the various organelles and is enclosed in the cell or plasma membrane.

CYTOPATHOLOGY : the microscopic examination of individual cells, rather than tissue, to detect diseases.

DERMATOPATHOLOGY : Pathology that is especially concerned with lesions of the skin. Dermatopatholgy is the study of skin disease at a microscopic level.

DIAGNOSIS : the determination of the nature of a case or disease / the art of distinguishing one disease from another.

HELICOBACTER PYLORI (H. pylori) : an infection that occurs when the bacterium Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infects your stomach and upper part of the small intestine.

HEMATOPATHOLOGY : the branch of pathology which studies diseases of hematopoietic cells.

HER2/neu : (human epidermal growth factor receptor) A protein involved in normal cell growth.

HIPAA : Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act

IMMUNOFLUORESCENCE : a method or test that uses antibodies chemically linked to a fluorescent dye in order to study antigens in a sample of tissue; a method of locating antigens in tissue.

IMMUNOHISTOCHEMISTRY (IHC) : used to diagnose the type of cancer and to help determine the patient's prognosis.

INFECTION : invasion and multiplication of microorganisms in body tissues, which may be clinically inapparent or result in local cellular injury due to competitive metabolism, toxins, intracellular replication, or antigen-antibody response.

LYMPH NODES : are small rounded or bean-shaped masses of lymphatic tissue, the main locations are the neck, under the arms, and in the groin.

MARROW : the blood forming tissue within the Medullary Cavity.

MEDULLARY CAVITY : the central cavity of bone shafts where yellow marrow is stored.

ORGANISM : Any individual living thing, whether animal or plant. Cellular organism - an organism made up of a cell or cells.

PATHOLOGY : the study of the essential nature of diseases and especially of the structural and functional changes produced by them.

PATHOLOGIST : is an M.D. who specializes in the study of diseases by examining biopsies, cytologies, laboratory tests, and acts as a consult to your physician.

PLEURAL FLUIDS : Fluid that accumulates in the pleural space because of trauma or disease.

PROGESTERONE RECEPTOR : (proh-JES-tuh-rone rih-SEP-ter) A protein found inside the cells of the female reproductive tissue, some other types of tissue, and some cancer cells.

RECEPTOR ANALYSIS : a diagnostic test that determines an important biological characteristic of the cells in a tumor, their response to normal growth factors.

SURGICAL PATHOLOGY : laboratory services which involves the evaluation of solid tissues, to diagnose diseases.

TISSUE : an aggregation of similarly specialized cells united in the performance of a particular function.

TUMOR : 1. swelling, one of the cardinal signs of inflammation; morbid enlargement. 2. a new growth of tissue in which the multiplication of cells is uncontrolled and progressive.

TUMOR MARKERS : substances found in the blood, urine or body tissues that can be associated with and elevated in cancer.