Anatomical pathology

Anatomical pathology is a specialised technical medical branch concerned with the study of macroscopic and microscopic lesions of pathologic tissues collected from a living or deceased subject.

The anatomical pathology unit is responsible for the histological and cytological diagnosis of pathologies treated in the Europe Hospitals.

Based on the observation and analysis of tissue or cell samples, the unit provides the information necessary to establish a diagnosis and to treat pathologies and, in some cases, to assess the response to these treatments. 

Every year, some 25,000 histological (tissue) samples and around 20,000 cytological (cell) samples are analysed for diagnostic purposes and for the therapeutic monitoring of patients. These include all of the surgical specimens as well as the biopsies and cytological samples collected at the Europe Hospitals and in private medical practices.

In histology (study of the tissues) we perform standard colouration techniques along with special colourations and immunohistochemistry operations.

In cytology (study of the cells) we favour working in a liquid medium. With this method, we are able, as necessary, to detect the presence of the human papillomavirus (cervical cancer) using molecular biology.

Molecular biology analyses (for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes) are outsourced to university laboratories.

Our unit is therefore involved in several steps of the diagnosis and treatment, and participates, among others, in multidisciplinary oncology discussions.

Press

02/02/2023 - RTBF - HPV trop peu détecté : lutte contre le cancer de l'utérus - Interview Dr Vincent Radermacher, Anatomical Pathology

Last update: 09/02/2023