Our diagnostic pathologists examine your Pap test, fine-needle aspiration biopsy, tissue biopsy or other tissue specimen to make a diagnosis that determines your treatment. Our diagnostic pathologists include specialists in every organ system, including skin, lung, prostate and breast. We provide diagnoses on over 40,000 surgical specimens and over 15,000 cytopathology specimens per year. Molecular analysis of your tissue allows us to provide a personalized medicine approach to your care.

Doctors, patients and families count on us to deliver a comprehensive and accurate analysis of biopsies, resections and other tissue specimens and to make this information available in a timely fashion. We understand the anxiety associated with waiting for a diagnosis. At your doctor’s request, we review cases performed at other institutions when you establish care at Penn State Health to assure accuracy of the diagnosis. We serve as expert consultants to other pathologists in the central Pennsylvania region and beyond. Our expert gynecologic pathologists also offer patients in-person reviews of their gynecologic pathology slides.

Our anatomic pathologists work with your doctor so these diagnoses guide management tailored specifically for you. Our pathologists are integral members of interdisciplinary cancer teams and other disease teams that meet regularly to plan the optimal treatment for each patient based on all the clinical, radiology, pathology and laboratory findings.

Penn State Health provides quality, accurate and timely diagnostic testing. Our participation in stringent regulatory and accreditation activities means you can be assured of the outstanding diagnostic expertise guiding your care. These national accreditations and certifications show we meet rigorous quality standards:

• Clinical Laboratory Improvement Act
• College of American Pathologists
• The Joint Commission

Related Services and Treatments

• Analysis of individual cells (cytopathology)
• Analysis of surgically removed organs and tissues (surgical pathology)
• Autopsy and decedent care services, including family counseling
• Biopsy and tissue interpretation (surgical pathology)
• Fine-needle aspiration biopsy
• Genetic testing (molecular diagnostics)
• Pap tests
• Personalized medicine
• Transplant organ biopsy