Pathology Services

The pathogists at Stamford Hospital work closely with our surgeons and medical oncologists to evaluate melanoma.

Expert Surgical Pathology

Both biopsies of pigmented lesions and wide excisions of melanomas, and evaluation of sentinel lymph nodes are enhanced by great histology, made possible through the advanced histology staining platform available at Stamford Hospital. The Symphony (made by Ventana Medical Systems) is an advanced tissue staining platform available at Stamford Hospital. Stamford Hospital was the first in Connecticut to utilize this advanced method.

Molecular Pathology

Because evaluation of pigmented lesions and melanomas is often challenging, we utilize immunohistochemistry for tumor identification and classification. Stamford Hospital has advanced immunostaining platforms for this purpose. The sentinel lymph node procedure at Stamford Hospital routinely utilizes immunohistochemistry to identify micrometastatic melanoma.

Second Opinion and Consultations

Patients treated at Stamford Hospital for skin malignancies have their biopsy material routinely reviewed by the Department of Pathology at Stamford Hospital. This review assures that the diagnosis made elsewhere is accurate, promotes patient safely, and allows the surgeon to tailor his surgery for the best cosmetic outcome. Difficult and unusual skin lesions are referred to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, which is an internationally recognized reference laboratory with expertise in neoplastic dermatopathology.

Intraoperative Margin Evaluation

Our expert pathologists work closely with our surgeons and evaluate surgical margins during surgery. For mohs surgery, margin evaluations is best made by a pathologist who is trained in surgical pathology. Our frozen section diagnostic accuracy surpasses national standards.

For more information or to make an appointment please call
1-877-233-WELL (9355).