Gynecologic Pathology

Biopsy interpretation of lesions of the cervix, uterus, ovaries, fallopian tubes, vagina and vulva are what constitutes gynecologic pathology. Cervical biopsies are a fairly common procedure performed by both gynecologists and family practitioners and they are the next diagnostic step performed after an abnormality on a pap smear is detected. The pap smear is a screening test, meaning it is a first-stage testing procedure that if it is abnormal, a more definitive diagnostic test such as a tissue biopsy of the cervix needs to be undertaken. Pap smears can also sometimes detect abnormalities higher up in the gynecologic tract such as in the lining of the uterus (endometrium) but biopsies of the endometrium are far and away more superior than cytology/pap for diagnosing an endometrial lesion. When patients are found to have a cancer involving the ovary, uterus or other regions of the gynecologic tract, they will often seek out a gynecologic-oncologic surgeon for their definitive cancer surgery. These types of surgeries can be long complex procedures and the gynecologic-oncologic surgeon depends on a competent pathologist familiar with gynecologic cancers in order to get accurate and useful data for diagnostic, prognostic and treatment purposes.