Respiratory Pathology

The respiratory pathology subspecialty is a clinical service which provides high quality and timely diagnosis of diseases involving the lungs, pleura and related structures. Our pathologists work in a collaborative environment with respiratory physicians, cardiothoracic surgeons, oncologists and scientific staff to provide a patient centred service.

The group reports a range of neoplastic and non-neoplastic respiratory samples, including:

• Surgical biopsies and resections;
• Bronchoscopic guided samples including those procured by endoscopic bronchial ultrasound guided fine needle aspiration;
• Exfoliative samples - sputum, pleural fluid;
• Direct and image guided fine needle aspiration biopsies.

Reflex molecular testing for several non-small cell lung cancer predictive biomarkers is well-established in our laboratory for both cytological and histopathology samples.

In addition to clinical service, the respiratory pathology subspecialty group is also involved in undergraduate and postgraduate teaching as well as ongoing research in the pathogenesis and diagnosis of thoracic disorders, with particular emphasis on mesothelioma research.

The group attends and presents at weekly multidisciplinary respiratory meetings to plan management of patients with respiratory malignancies.