Doctors Involved In Patient Cancer Care Teams

Pathologist

A patient's cancer care team may include a pathologist, which is a physician who specializes in evaluating tissues, cells, and organs at the microscopic and molecular level to diagnose disease. The patient being treated for cancer usually does not meet the pathologist. Regardless, the pathologist is a critical member of the cancer care team because they are responsible for determining the type of cancer the patient has. The pathologist takes tissue samples and examines them with laboratory tools and devices to determine the extent of a patient's cancer. They also compare the patient's labs throughout their disease to determine the progression or regression of their cancer activity. The pathologist analyzes laboratory results to determine if and how a patient's cancer is affecting the function of different organs throughout their body. The pathologist is responsible for communicating and explaining their findings and the aforementioned information to the rest of the patient's cancer care team.