The major function of the Department of Pathology is diagnosis of tumors and evaluation of prognostic indicators. The Department of Pathology accomplishes this mission in three different areas:

• Diagnosis
• Research
• Education

Research-Based Results

Both clinical and basic research are essential for accomplishing our mission to improve patient care and eliminate cancer and allied diseases as a significant health problem. Continued success and productivity in both of these areas depend upon the education of others

Diagnosis & Second Opinion

The diagnostic services of Pathology and Cytopathology are the backbone of patient management and also contribute significantly to basic and clinical research. Although a large portion of the clinical workload depends on the activity of The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center clinicians, our outside consultative service has continued independently to increase over the years. Consultation on specimens from patients sent to M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, or second opinion cases, represent about 60% of our caseload. The review of diagnostic material obtained and evaluated elsewhere has been shown to be of significant importance both in terms of quality of care and economic benefit.