[What Surgeons Need to Know About the Histopathological Processing of a Specimen]

A multitude of factors influence the state of tissue samples on their way from the biopsy site in the body to the pathologist's microscope. Some of these factors can be influenced by surgeons, while others are dealt with in pathology departments, but surgeons should know potential pitfalls and caveats and their influence on the pathohistological diagnosis. These factors influence diagnoses made on conventional stains, but even more so the results of immunohistochemical stains and molecular pathology examinations. Therefore, the work-up of tissue samples should be standardised. This is of utmost importance for biobank tissue samples, especially those for which a tissue treatment protocol is recommended.