The Laboratory Physicians examine over 14,000 tissue Surgical Pathology specimens a year. In many cases they are examining biopsies of body sites like skin, gastrointestinal tract, and breast. In some cases they are examining a whole organ that is removed at surgery, e.g. a kidney removed because of a tumour. Often the examination is to determine what disease process is present, e.g. does the tissue contain cancer, or not. Many examinations are to determine the extent of disease, and hence the outlook for the patient.