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How do pathologists advise patients with the best course of action for their disease?

I'm asking this because I plan on becoming a pathologist and would like to know the difficulties that they are faced with when a patient becomes ill with a disease. #pathology #pathologist #medicine #healthcare #hospital-and-healthcare

hospital-and-healthcare pathology pathologist
Thank you comment icon Pathologists specialize in the diagnosis of diseases, typically by evaluating specimens microscopically. We work in laboratories and issue reports on our findings that then go to the clinician/surgeon who then discuss our findings with the patients. We as pathologists typically do not interact directly with patients or counsel them on their options, with rare exceptions. Beth Braunhut
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Rachel’s Answer

Pathologists are specialists that help determine the cause of illness by examining tissue/blood samples. This can help determine what kind of infection a patient has, diagnose certain types of cancer, determine if a surgeon removed all of a tumor, and so forth. They also perform autopsies on patients to help determine the cause of death. Typically, pathologists do not have direct patient contact - they serve as consultants to other doctors (like surgeons, oncologists, nephrologists, etc) to help with diagnosis. These other doctors will then relay the information to the patient and come up with the best course of action.

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Richard’s Answer

Typically pathologists provide consultation with treating physicians. For example, if a patient has a biopsy of a nodule on the lung, the pathologist examines the small amount of tissue under a microscope and performs special staining procedures on the sample. The pathologist then provides the treating physician with the exact type of cancer is contained in the sample so the oncologist can prescribe the specific chemotherapy regimine to treat the patient
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