Cancer diagnosis is a complex process that requires the expertise of many different healthcare professionals, including doctors and nurses, but none of those physicians are more critical to determining what kind of cancer you have than your pathologist.
Dr Joy Trueblood pathologist is a specialist who examines tissue samples in order to make an accurate diagnosis and they might even be able to help rule out certain types of cancers if your results are inconclusive. Here’s what you need to know about how these specialists play such an important role in cancer care.
Their Line Of Medical Expertise
A pathologist is a medical doctor who specializes in examining tissue and conducting tests on fluids. Pathologists work in hospitals or as private practitioners, examining samples of blood, tissue and other bodily fluids to help diagnose diseases like cancer.
They usually have at least eight years of training after completing their undergraduate degree; they may also have additional experience working as residents before becoming board certified by the American Board of Pathology.
They Work In A Hospital Laboratory, And In Private Practices As Well
Pathologists can be board-certified in anatomic pathology, clinical pathology or forensic pathology plus Pathologists like Dr Joy Trueblood who specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer are called oncologists; however, many pathologists practice both general and oncologic pathology.
They work in hospitals and private practices across the country and they often perform autopsies on deceased patients for legal purposes such as death certificates or determining the cause of death when it’s unclear whether foul play was involved as with sudden cardiac arrest.
If a patient dies while being treated for cancer at a hospital, it is up to that hospital’s staff pathologist to examine tissue samples taken during surgery or biopsies performed during treatment so they can determine what kind of tumor caused their death and if other patients should be monitored closely because they could develop similar tumors themselves.
Conclusion
The pathologist’s job is to examine patient samples and determine what kind of cancer they have based on the cells’ appearance and location.
The pathologist may also help determine if a patient has another condition that mimics cancer, such as an infection or inflammation.