The biopsy. The pathologist's point of view.

The science of medicine is constantly evolving. Surgical pathology must respond to these changes. For example, incisional biopsies once taken during an open surgical procedure are now being replaced by FNA biopsies performed on the outpatient. Pathologists are being asked to diagnose lesions on smaller pieces of tissue and fewer cells. Advances in molecular biology are allowing diseases to be examined at the molecular level. The pathologist is now asked to integrate this molecular data into his or her diagnostic process (e.g., lymphomas). The impact on the pathologist of the increased complexity imposed on examination of tissues cannot be overstated. Despite these difficulties, diagnosis always comes down to the integration of the morphologic features with the clinical findings. As such, the diagnosis will always depend on close teamwork between the surgeon and the pathologist.