Pathology & NZAPP

What is pathology?

Pathology is a branch of medicine which looks at the structure, causes and functional effects of diseases on the body. Pathology involves testing samples and diagnosing physical health problems from tissues of the body, blood and other bodily fluids. Pathology results are essential in guiding patient care. Pathology plays an extremely important role in preventive medicine. Today’s pathology discoveries become the tests and treatments of tomorrow.

Every day thousands of New Zealanders will use pathology services to help diagnose and monitor illness and to maintain their health. Some of the most common pathology services are: pap smears to detect cervical cancer in women; biopsies on moles to determine whether or not they are cancerous; cholesterol blood tests used to diagnose or monitor heart disease.