Pathology is a medical specialty that determines the cause and nature of diseases by examining and testing body tissues (from biopsies and pap smears, for example) and bodily fluids (from samples including blood and urine). The results from these pathology tests help doctors diagnose and treat patients correctly. Every Canadian receives their first pathology test just days after they are born. It is a blood test that screens for serious genetic conditions. From then on we rely on blood tests, biopsies and a multitude of other pathology tests to prevent, diagnose and treat infections, allergies, chronic diseases, cancers and countless other medical conditions. Read more about the most common pathology tests.

Information About Pathology for Non-Pathologists

MyPathologist.ca
- From the Canadian Association of Pathologists

MyPathologist.ca on Youtube
- From the Canadian Association of Pathologists

What is pathology?
- From the Royal College of Pathologists 

Know Pathology Know Healthcare
- From the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia

How to Read Your Pathology Report
- From the College of American Pathologists

Candid Cancer: Know thy pathologist
- A patient gets to know the pathologist who will diagnose her tumor

The Unseen Pathologist: Why You Might Want To Meet Yours
- Dr. Michael Misialek, Tufts University School of Medicine

Pathology: A Career in Medicine
- A career guidance brochure produced by the Intersociety Council for Pathology Information (ICPI), a non-profit educational organization of which CAP-ACP is an associate member.

What do pathologists do, anyway?
- Canada's CTV News investigates

The Road to Becoming a Biomedical Physician Scientist in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
- From the American Society for Investigative Pathology, authored by CAP-ACP member Dr. Avrum I. Gotlieb

The Practice of Pathology in Canada: Decreasing Pathologist Supply and Uncertain Outcomes
- In this article from the medical journal Archives of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, CAP-ACP members Terence J. Colgan and Laurette Geldenhuys used population-based Canadian databases to devise a parameter for physician supply, "cancer cases per physician". The trend in this supply parameter for pathologists was compared to that for radiation oncologists, and showed a decreasing supply of Canadian pathologists relative to that of cancer demands.

Understanding Laboratory Tests (National Cancer Institute)

Deciphering Your Lab Report (Lab Tests Online)

The FAQ initiative explaining pathology reports to patients:  Patient FAQs


- last updated April 2020 -