Dr Joy Trueblood: The Importance Of Pathology In Your Health

The general purpose of pathology is to identify what caused a person’s specific illness and how it can be treated. Pathologists like Dr Joy Trueblood are medical professionals who specialize in analyzing tissue samples taken from people with cancer, heart disease, or other diseases. Here’s what you need to know about the importance of pathology in one’s health.

The Most Common Biopsy Type Of Is An Excisional Biopsy

First of all, an excisional biopsy refers to the field that involves removing a small piece of tissue from your breast and sending it to a pathologist for analysis.

The procedure is performed under local anesthetic, which means you won’t be asleep during the operation but you will feel some pain when the surgeon cuts into your skin and removes a piece of tissue. The surgeon will then stitch up the wound to prevent bleeding or infection at all times.

Needle Biopsy Involves Inserting Hollow Needles To Obtain A Tissue Sample

Dr Joy Trueblood A needle biopsy involves inserting a hollow needle into the breast tissue to obtain a tissue sample for examination under a microscope (histology). The procedure is used to diagnose breast cancer, but it can also be used to diagnose other conditions such as inflammation or tumors in other parts of the body. A radiologist is usually qualified to perform this procedure on patients referred by their doctor.

A Biopsy Is Needed To Confirm The Cancer Cells Present

And lastly, a biopsy is often performed because it’s possible that not all of the cancer was removed during a previous procedure. If your doctor suspects that there might still be some tumor left behind after your first surgery, he or she might recommend doing another biopsy right away.

Other than that, if your doctor thinks that there is at least a small chance that the cancer cells have spread in your body, then he or she may recommend additional tests such as MRI or PET scans to confirm the said diagnosis.