Surgical/Cytopathology is the examination of tissues/body fluids from living patients during major and minor surgeries, to provide and contribute to the diagnosis and reach a decision for a treatment plan. This entails the microscopic examination of processed tissues under a microsocope and could be subsequently supported by immunohistochemistry or other laboratory tests.

Pathologists also diagnose diseases other than cancer, including inflammatory, infectious, or idiopathic diseases of the skin and gastrointestinal tract.