Cancer Diagnosis, Typing & Grading

Definitive confirmation of whether a lesion is benign or malignant, precisely which tumour type it is, and how aggressive it appears — the report that determines the entire treatment pathway.

Surgical Margins & Staging

Assessment of whether a tumour has been completely removed, how deeply it has invaded, and whether lymph nodes are involved — the information that decides whether further surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation is required.

Predictive Biomarkers

Hormone receptor, HER2, and PD-L1 testing that determines whether hormonal therapy, targeted therapy, or immunotherapy will be effective for an individual patient.

Pre-Cancerous & Screening Lesions

Detection of dysplasia and early changes in cervical, gastrointestinal, oral, and skin samples — identifying disease at the stage where simple treatment prevents cancer entirely.

Inflammatory & Autoimmune Disease

Tissue diagnosis of conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease, coeliac disease, glomerulonephritis, and skin disorders where clinical features alone cannot distinguish between similar-looking conditions.

Infections & Granulomatous Disease

Identification of tuberculosis, fungal infection, and other organisms in tissue using special stains, often where cultures have been negative or the presentation is atypical.

Haematological Disease

Bone marrow trephine reporting for leukaemia, lymphoma, myeloma, and unexplained anaemia or abnormal blood counts, in coordination with our haematology services.

Organ & Transplant Assessment

Evaluation of liver, kidney, and other organ biopsies to grade fibrosis, assess damage, and guide medical management in chronic disease.

Specimen Receipt & Barcoding

Every sample is logged, barcoded, and matched to the patient at the point of receipt, with tracking maintained through every subsequent step to eliminate identification error.

Grossing & Tissue Processing

The specimen is examined and described by a pathologist, representative sections are selected, and the tissue is processed overnight through fixation and dehydration before being embedded in paraffin wax.

Sectioning & Staining

Blocks are cut on precision microtomes into sections a few microns thick and stained — routinely with haematoxylin and eosin, and with special stains where infection or specific tissue components are suspected.

Microscopic Examination & Reporting

A consultant pathologist examines the slides, correlates the findings with the clinical and radiological picture, and issues a structured report giving the diagnosis, type, grade, and margin status.

Immunohistochemistry

Where appearances alone are inconclusive or biomarker status is needed, antibody-based staining is performed on an automated platform to classify the tumour precisely and guide therapy selection.

Second Review & Tumour Board

All malignant and complex cases are reviewed by a second consultant before release, and discussed at multidisciplinary meetings so the report is interpreted alongside imaging and clinical findings.

Times are indicative. Complex cases requiring extended panels, decalcification, or expert consultation may take longer, and you will be informed if this applies.