A xanthoma is a type of growth that forms under the skin or in other tissues of the body. It is made up of fat-filled cells called foamy histiocytes, which are a type of immune cell that has absorbed fat. Xanthomas can appear anywhere on the body but are most commonly found on the skin. …
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Ring sideroblasts are immature red blood cells (RBCs) that have extra iron inside the body of the cell. This extra iron creates a tight ring around the nucleus of the cell. These cells can be seen in a variety of medical conditions including copper deficiency, myelodysplastic syndromes, and inherited diseases associated with ring sideroblasts. Some …
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A dermal nevus is a non-cancerous skin tumour made up of specialized cells called melanocytes. Melanocytes produce melanin, the pigment that gives skin its colour. The term “dermal” is used because the melanocytes in a dermal nevus are located in the dermis, a layer of skin below the surface. This type of growth is commonly …
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A junctional nevus is a non-cancerous skin tumour made up of specialized cells called melanocytes. Melanocytes produce melanin, the pigment that gives skin its colour. The term “junctional” is used because the melanocytes in a junctional nevus are located at the junction between the epidermis and the dermis. This type of growth is commonly called …
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The TNM staging system is an internationally recognized way to describe how far cancer has developed and spread. It was created by the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC). This system uses detailed information about three key factors: Tumour (T): The size of the primary tumour and how far it has grown into surrounding tissue. …
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In pathology, the term diffuse describes a change that is seen throughout the tissue sample examined. Diffuse changes can be seen when the tissue is examined by eye (this is called the gross examination) or under the microscope. The opposite of diffuse is focal.
In pathology, the term distal is used to describe a part of an organ or tissue farther from the middle or center of the body than another part of the organ or tissue being examined. The opposite of distal is proximal. For example, the colon is a long tube that starts at the end of …
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In pathology, the term proximal describes the part of a tissue or organ closest to the center (midline) of the body. Doctors and pathologists use this term to explain the location of tumours, lesions, or specific areas within an organ. For example, the colon (large intestine) is a long tube divided into six sections: the …
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Reactive gastropathy, also known as chemical gastropathy, is a condition in which the stomach’s lining becomes damaged after exposure to substances not normally present in the stomach. These substances may include bile, alcohol, or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen or aspirin. The damage causes changes in the cells that normally protect the stomach, …
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Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) is a laboratory test used in pathology to detect and localize the presence or absence of specific DNA sequences on chromosomes. It works by using fluorescent probes that bind to only those parts of the chromosome that match or are complementary to the probe. It is commonly used in the …
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