Histopathology provides rapid diagnosis

  • Published
  • By Margo Turner
  • 89th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
ANDREWS AIR FORCE BASE, Md. (AFPN) --  Physicians often determine the presence and cause of diseases in patients through histopathology, the study of human tissue under the microscope.

“Histopathology has evolved with pathology as a science,” said Capt. (Dr.) Jonathan McClain, chief of the 89th Medical Support Squadron histopathology flight here. “(It) is a huge part of what pathologists do.” 

A physician sends a specimen and a report describing where the tissue was removed from a patient’s body to the pathology lab, Captain McClain said. The physician also explains in the report why the specimen was sent to the lab. 

The types of specimens vary, the captain said.

“We get specimens of skin and gastrointestinal, such as stomach, small bowel and large bowel,” he said. “There are also specimens of cervical biopsies. We see a lot of skin cancer.” 

Lab technicians dissect each specimen to detect abnormalities, Captain McClain said.

“The appearance of a specimen can sometimes provide information that you combine with other findings to help aid in the diagnosis, or that can speed up a diagnosis that can make you think there is a direction we want to take,” Captain McClain said. 

Tissue specimens are prepared for pathologists to view under a microscope, said Master Sgt. David Low, the squadron's pathology section chief. 

Formaldehyde solution is used to preserve the tissue, he said. The tissue is processed overnight. In the morning, the tissue is embedded in wax. A machine called the microtome slices the tissue into thin, almost transparent sections 5 to 7 micrometers. They are layered on a glass slide, where they will be stained, which enables the pathologists to see the tissue under a microscope. 

An analysis of a specimen is completed within a week, Sergeant Low said. 

Many people think histopathology only deals with autopsies.

“I always tell them that we deal with living people,” Sergeant Low said, adding that Malcolm Grow Medical Center is one of a dozen major medical facilities in the Air Force to have histopathology.

“We’re here for preventive-medicine type of practice,” he said. 

Captain McClain said he had another way of describing the role of pathology.

“Pathology provides valuable information that clinicians use to form the basis of a patient’s treatment," he said. "At times, a serious condition can be diagnosed in an early stage and allow for early treatment. This can improve the chances of a positive outcome for the patient.”