Practical Understanding of Gross Examination Techniques

Abstract

Gross examination techniques (GETs) of specimens collected from cancer surgery or endoscopy comprise the act of recording visual information about cancer for accurate histopathological diagnosis and collecting sections of the lesion to create microscopic specimens. GETs must include concise and accurate expressions, appropriate structuring, sufficient resections, error-free standardization of important information, and photo-diagramming of complex specimens. To increase the satisfaction of pathological interpretation, it is a task that must be performed accurately and carefully to gain confidence on a theoretical and practical basis with a sufficient understanding of gross examination. Based on the experience of clinical pathologists in the field of GETs, additional specimen types should be identified as viable candidates. Also, their needs and concerns regarding treatment should be carefully considered. In addition, departments at each institution should review the national focus on clinical partnerships, continuous professional training, diagnostic errors, and value-based healthcare provision.

Keywords

• diagnostic errors
• gross examination
• gross finding
• neoplasm staging
• quality assurance
• specimen handling